


Bit by Bit

by zestyitaliandressing



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alive Bianca di Angelo, Alive Luke Castellan, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Bending (Avatar), Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Relationships, Fluff and Humor, Getting to Know Each Other, I Haven't Read The Trials of Apollo, Mostly Gen, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Team Bonding, Team Feels, Team as Family, no beta we die like men, updates slowly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26483824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zestyitaliandressing/pseuds/zestyitaliandressing
Summary: It's been twenty-one years since the Fire Nation attacked, and the Avatar has vanished. When Percy Jackson, the last bender of the Southern Water Tribe, comes across a strange boy trapped inside an iceberg, they embark on a journey together that may just bring balance to the world.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood, Jason Grace & Percy Jackson
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	1. Percy Accidentally Blows Up an Iceberg

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this idea in my head for weeks, and I just couldn't let it go. I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish it, but we'll see how far it gets before I run out of steam or get swamped with schoolwork.
> 
> I'll be mixing in a fair amount of events from both universes, with plenty of twists so it doesn't end up just being an ATLA rewrite with different characters. Character tags are to be added as they appear in the story, but all the main characters from HOO will play a significant role at some point. I'll also add content warnings as they apply, but everything will say T rated, as these are literal children.
> 
> POV will switch as needed. This fic isn't centered around any particular character, and I'd like for each to have their time in the spotlight. I'll try to keep this balanced as the story plays out. Chapter titles will say who is narrating, and I'll try to make them funny like they are in the books.
> 
> Fic title is from Bit by Bit by Mother Mother!

“Percy, wake up!”

Sea green eyes shot open. His mother always told him that Percy had his father’s eyes; bright, warm and inviting, yet bold and powerful too. The mark of a strong waterbending tradition. These comments were usually accompanied with embarrassing hugs or hair-ruffling, so Percy never took them to heart, though he did often smile when he saw his own reflection in the icy waters.

Percy Jackson was sixteen years old, one of the oldest men left in the Southern Water Tribe after their fathers had gone to war. He hadn’t seen his own father in years since he’d embarked with his crew to assist the Earth Kingdom army in the fight against the Fire Nation troops. The day they left, Percy had begged to go with them, saying that he was old enough to fight.

“I know you are, Perce,” Poseidon, his father, had said with a smile that didn't match his tired eyes. “That’s why I need you and Tyson to stay behind. Who else would protect the village?”

Reluctantly, Percy had seen his point. Since the attacks by the Southern Raiders had started, their numbers were dwindling. The Fire Nation Army had come to take away every waterbender by force. Through tears, his mother Sally had explained to Percy that the next Avatar would be a waterbender, just like him.

“That’s why you can’t tell anyone about your powers,” Sally has said to him with a kiss on the forehead. “It’ll be our little secret.”

Luckily for him, Percy was the absolute worst at keeping secrets.

Though a temporary peace had settled in the South Pole, Percy still woke up in a cold sweat every other night, racing outside to scan for Fire Nation ships on the horizon. More often than not, he’d sneak away to a secluded area to practice his bending, shaping the water into whatever images popped into his mind. Usually this ended in frustration, or nearly being knocked out by icicles. He’d had his fair share of concussions from careless mistakes, but he didn’t let that stop him from going out again night after night.

As much as Percy loved his parents, as the years slipped by he grew more restless. Dorking around with simple moves wasn’t enough for him. He dreamed of going to the Northern Water Tribe to find a true waterbending master and receive the training he desperately needed. Then, he could protect his home and stand tall against the Fire Nation.

Percy was jolted from his train of thought by a canoe paddle landing in his lap.

“I said wake up! You don’t want all the good fish to be gone, do you?”

Percy slowly sat up and pulled his parka on. His half brother, Tyson, was standing in the tent entrance, waiting expectantly. It was time for their weekly fishing expedition, and Percy had nearly forgotten.

“I’m coming,” Percy huffed, slipping his shoes on one by one. “Can we practice my waterbending today?”

Tyson shuffled in the doorway, his one eye avoiding Percy’s gaze. “I don’t know. Sally said that we shouldn’t be doing that when there’s people around.”

“That’s why we need to go far away, silly,” Percy said, standing up and grabbing his paddle. “After we’re done fishing, we can find an ice floe to practice on!”

Slowly, Tyson started to smile. “Okay, but only after we’ve caught lots of fish. Today will be our biggest haul yet!”

Percy gave him a grin. “Race you there!”

“You’re on!”

The boys took off, laughing madly along the way, their parka hoods fluttering in the icy wind behind them. Tyson was Percy’s best friend in the world. After his mother, Poseidon’s first wife, passed away, Sally had taken in Tyson as her own son, later having Percy when she married Poseidon herself. Tyson was two years older and at least a head taller than Percy, with tangled black hair and a goofy grin. His most distinguishing feature, however, was the large burn scar that covered half his face, a remnant of a Fire Nation raid. The same attack that claimed Tyson’s left eye had taken his mother, and though his brother had moved on, Percy still felt a burning rage inside him every time he was reminded of the Fire Nation.

As they passed by a familiar tent, Percy slid to a halt. “Just a second, Tyson!” He called before ducking into the tent. Inside, a man with a mess of curly brown hair peeked up at him from a short stool.

“Good morning, Percy,” Grover greeted, hauling himself to his feet. He steadied himself on his pair of canes, taking a moment to get his bearings. “What brings you here?”

“Just wanted to say hello to my new best friend, of course!” Percy smiled, gesturing to his canes. “How are the old legs doing?”

“Getting stronger by the day,” Grover said, offering him a weak grin. “I don’t think I’ll ever be an athlete, though.”

Percy’s smile slowly dropped. Grover had an Earth Kingdom soldier, a member of their navy. He had been sailing with Percy’s father until they had a run-in with the Fire Nation. They won the attack, but at the cost of Grover’s health. Even with the help of the tribe’s best healers, they hadn’t been sure if Grover would ever walk again. Still, the young soldier managed to pull through, and he was regaining his strength at an impressive rate.

“What are you up to today?” Gover asked, pulling Percy out of his thoughts.

Percy hoisted his paddle over his shoulder. “Fishing! Doesn’t it look like a great day for it?”

Grover rolled his eyes. “All the days look the same down here. Back in the Earth Kingdom, we had weather other than snow.”

“Sounds lame.” Percy studied Grover’s face for a moment. “You wanna come with us? The canoe isn’t huge, but I’m sure me and Tyson can make room.”

“Nah, go have fun,” Grover shrugged him off. “I’m sure I can find something to do here. Fishing’s never been my strong suit anyway.”

Percy smiled at him. “Suit yourself. I’ll catch you later!”

“Was that a fishing pun?”

Only laughing in reply, Percy slipped out of the tent and ran to catch up with Tyson, who was already in the water with a spear.

“Come on! We don’t have all day!”

“Yes we do!” Percy retorted, hopping into the canoe and pushing off of the ice. The frigid water splashed up into his face, making him yelp. Tyson laughed at him, then screeched when a wave crashed directly into him.

“Hey, no fair! You’re gonna sink the boat!”

“Not a problem, I can always waterbend us out!” Percy weaved a large rope of water around the entire canoe, making it wrap endlessly like a large serpent in the air above them. “Watch this!”

With one swift movement, the water shaped itself into a sphere, spinning rapidly. 

“Percy, stop!” Tyson yelled. He was gripping the edge of the canoe for dear life. “You’ll scare off all the fish!” 

With a pitiful splash, Percy let the water fall back down. He leaned up against the corner of the canoe and pouted. “You never let me do anything cool.”

Tyson only rolled his eyes - well, eye - in response, before plunging his own spear into the depths.

Hours later, Percy was idly watching the waters on the left side of the boat. Between them, they’d already accumulated an impressive stack of fish, which sat dripping brine onto their shoes in the middle of the canoe. Tyson was squinting at the water, spear positioned for another strike.

Percy watched the ripples wade in and out, waiting for another unsuspecting fish to swim by. He huffed, icy breath forming a mist in front of him.

“Tyson, can I train now?”

“Shh!” His brother moved his spear just a hair to the right, then drove it into the water. He pulled it out to reveal a massive fish, flopping helplessly at the other end. “I got it! That’s my biggest fishy yet!”

Percy watched as Tyson slid the fish off his spear. It thrashed atop their pile, sending drops everywhere. Percy blinked a splash of saltwater out of his eye. Tyson laughed, then stood up on their boat.

“Okay, let’s go play with your powers now!”

They found a crevice to dock their canoe in. After Percy secured the ropes, they both hopped onto the ice. They ventured in a bit before finding a wide enough area to practice on. There, Tyson stood with his arms outstretched.

“Percy, do the thing!”

Taking a deep breath, Percy focused his energy inward, then released it around him. Strands of water rose from the sea, gently rocking the canoe. They weaved up and wrapped around his form, like a third arm. Percy moved it closer to Tyson, who watched with starry eyes.

“Hit the ice with it!”

With a quick motion, Percy made the water strike the wall of ice behind his brother. It formed a small crack, about the size of his forearm.

“Do it again!”

This time, Percy pulled a larger rope of water in front of him. He yelled as he struck, this time splitting the ice down the middle. It crackled as the gap slowly spread through the entire wall. It was getting louder and louder, and Percy felt the ground beneath him shaking.

It was in that moment that Percy realized he had royally screwed up.

“Tyson, get down!” He could hardly see the other boy as he sank to the ground, grasping in vain for some solid surface to latch onto. The sound was almost deafening, drowned out only by his own screams. He heard a loud crash, then saw a blinding light flash all around him.

Then, everything went silent. Percy lifted his head up to see the ice wall split completely down the middle, and within it was a dark silhouette.

“Tyson?” He slowly rose to his feet, taking a hesitant step forward.

“Percy!” Tyson ran up behind him. “Are you okay?”

The waterbender didn’t say anything. He watched the third form take a single step forward, then collapse to the ground. Percy ran forward, then stopped dead in his tracks.

Tyson followed him. He squinted at the figure, now laying on the ground in front of them. “Percy, who is that?”

Percy didn’t have the faintest idea. The other person was a boy, maybe the same age as him. He had shock of golden hair, and was wearing ratty brown robes, now soaked with seawater. His eyes, an electric blue, slowly opened.

“Tyson, wait here.” Percy took a careful step closer, kneeling by the other boy. He blinked a few times, eyes squinting against the arctic sun. The boy looked up at Percy, face twisting in confusion.

“Who are… where are… what…” The boy trailed off, frantically looking all around them.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Percy put a hand on his shoulder, steadying him. “You’re in the South Pole.”

“You were in an iceberg!” Tyson yelled happily behind them. Percy glared at him over his shoulder before turning back to the blonde boy.

“What’s your name?” Percy asked kindly.

The boy blinked slowly at him. “My name’s Jason. I’m from the Earth Kingdom.”

“The Earth Kingdom?” Percy had met a few people from the Earth Kingdom, Grover being one of them, but it was rare for them to venture out this far, and even rarer for them to be trapped in a literal iceberg. The Southern Water Tribe was on friendly terms with their neighboring nation, but during times like these, they mostly kept to themselves unless the situation was dire.

Jason slowly rose to his feet, leaning against Percy. He was thin, Percy noticed, but not unhealthily so. His muscles were toned, like he spent a lot of time outdoors. He gave Percy a long look. “Is the Fire Nation here?”

“The Fire Nation? No, they’re not here.” Percy recognized that look. Diplomatic, but guarded. Like he was used to being hunted down for who he was. “We’re safe here.”

Jason’s face softened in relief. He gave a wary look to Tyson, who seemed oblivious to the entire situation. Percy glanced at his brother, then back at Jason. “Oh, that’s Tyson. He’s my brother. Well, my half-brother. Don’t worry, he’s friendly.”

Tyson waved at Jason, who smiled wryly. His face then dropped into a deep frown. Percy assumed he was studying the scar, Tyson's most noticeable feature. “He’s been hurt by the Fire Nation too.”

“He has.” Percy smiled sadly. “Let’s get you back to the village, okay? We’ve got healers there, and after all that time in the ice, you probably need to be checked out.”

Jason didn’t say anything. He silently followed Percy to the edge of the ice, limping slightly. Where his ropes were tattered at the bottom, Percy noticed a long, angry scar running up the length of his left leg - a burn scar. He wondered what the guy could have done to piss the Fire Nation off so much.

The canoe ride back to the village was mostly silent, with Tyson idly chattering behind them about anything and everything. He was still going on about the triumphs of their long forgotten fishing expedition. Jason quietly listened, his eyes fixed on the pile of fish next to him. Percy watched them both as he paddled, dreading having to tell his mother that they’d found a strange boy in an iceberg and brought him straight back to their very vulnerable village.

They docked at the outer edge of the village. Percy helped Jason out of the canoe, leaving Tyson behind to deal with the fish. His brother didn’t seem to care, happily humming as he unloaded the morning’s catch. Percy kept a hand on Jason’s shoulder as he led them straight to his family’s tent.

“Back already, Percy?” Sally called to them, not looking up from the garments she was repairing. “I thought you boys would be - oh!”

Sally’s eyes widened when she saw their guest. “Percy, who’s this? Another Earth Kingdom soldier?”

“Not exactly,” Percy said. “Jason, sit.”

Jason sat down on a fur mat, his body stiff. He didn’t say a word to Percy or his mother. Percy followed suit, keeping a good amount of distance so the guy had room to breathe.

“Mom, this is Jason. I found him… well…”

“I was in an iceberg,” Jason murmured. He looked up at them. “I don’t even know how that’s possible.”

Sally looked between them, concern in her kind eyes. She set down her sewing and leaned forward, setting a hand on Jason’s shoulder like she used to do when Percy would come home after a rough day. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

The boy looked at Percy, as if silently asking for permission. Percy smiled at him. “It’s okay. I promised you, we’re safe here.”

Jason let out a heavy sigh, then looked up at her. “My name is Jason Grace. I was born in the Earth Kingdom. I grew up with my mom and my sister, Thalia. I was two when the Fire Nation attacked.”

Percy’s eyes widened in surprise. Percy hadn’t even been born when the Fire Nation attacked. He must have misjudged how old the other boy was when he first saw him. Still, it seemed impossible that this kid was older than fifteen.

Oblivious to Percy’s thoughts, Jason continued. “A few years later, the Fire Nation came to our village. My sister and I ran away. My mother...she didn’t come with us. For years, it was just me and my sister, alone on the run. She taught me how to survive out there. Then…”

A tear ran from Jason’s eye. “Some soldiers found us. We got separated. I don’t remember what happened next.”

Sally squeezed his shoulder, motherly instinct taking over. Percy, however, was only more confused. “What, so why was the Fire Nation chasing after you? Are you an earthbender or something?”

Percy ignored his mother’s stern look. Apparently, he had been right on the money, though, because Jason took another deep breath.

“No, I’m not an earthbender,” Jason said, voice barely above a whisper. “I’m an airbender.”

“An airbender?” Percy couldn’t help but shout.

“Percy! Keep your voice down!” His mother scolded, but Percy ignored it.

“How? They were all wiped out!”

Jason couldn’t meet his eyes. “I wasn’t an Air Nomad. My dad, he was, but my mother, she was from the Earth Kingdom. They weren’t...I wasn’t supposed to be born. My sister too, she’s a…” He trailed off. Jason looked up at Percy with eyes that had seen a thousand lifetimes. “She’s an airbender too. We were supposed to be a secret. Then, when the Fire Nation attacked…”

“They didn’t know about you,” Percy finished for him. “That’s why they didn’t come after you at first.”

“We kept it hidden for so long,” Jason said. His voice was laced with anger. “We were careless. Some soldiers saw us out in the woods practicing our bending, and they started hunting us down. We didn’t even get to tell our mother goodbye. We spent all our days running, training, surviving, until…”

Jason wiped the tears from his eyes with a grimy hand. Percy made a mental note to get the guy a decent bath once story time was over. “The soldiers found us again. We got split up, and I used my powers to get away. We were close to the South Pole, but not this close. I don’t remember anything else after that.”

Sally was weeping herself at this point. “Here, let me get you some clean clothes. You’ll freeze out here in those.”

When she walked away, Percy turned back to Jason. He smiled dryly. His thoughts were racing, but at the moment, one in particular stood out. He slowly stood up, scratching his neck casually. “You know, when I was growing up, my dad told me stories about the Air Nomads.”

Jason looked up at him. He tilted his head slightly. Still repeating the events from the morning in his head - the ice breaking, the blinding flash of light, the boy, impossibly trapped inside - Percy continued, “As cool as they were, even the most powerful airbenders could never have survived frozen in literal ice. Even if it was just for a little while. And they definitely wouldn't have turned into lanterns when they were freed from that ice.”

“What do you mean-”

An ice dagger cut through the air, headed directly for Jason. Percy stood in formation, one hand poised in front of him, the other clenched by his side. If he was wrong about this, he was going to have a lot of explaining to do to his poor mother.

The boy flinched, throwing up his arms in defense. A cry died in his throat when he realized he wasn’t bleeding out on the floor. The dagger shattered in the air, clattering uselessly to the ground and shattering into a million little pieces. They both stared at each other, mouths gaping.

“You’re the-”

“I’m the Avatar,” Jason breathed, mostly to himself. He looked at the shards of ice at the ground, then at Percy. “I’m the Avatar!”

A loud  _ thud  _ sounded behind them. Sally was staring at them both, dropping the clean clothes in her shock. “You’re the Avatar?”

Percy lowered his hand. “Surprise?”

*

Needless to say, the village did not throw the Avatar a welcoming party.

Jason spent the night in Percy’s tent, now clean and bundled up in furs. Percy sat by his side, distracting him with funny stories about his childhood or inquiries about Jason’s own childhood. Jason was reserved with his answers, but he was slowly starting to perk up, even laughing at Percy’s account of getting knocked out with Tyson’s canoe paddle during a disastrous fishing trip.

Tyson himself was scarce through the evening, eventually dropping by for dinner and to see how their new guest was doing. When told that Jason was the Avatar, his only response was, “Cool! Can you do water tricks like Percy?”

Obviously, Jason couldn’t. Aside from his one act of self defense, his waterbending abilities were practically nonexistent. He had explained to Percy that his airbending training wasn’t finished, which was probably limiting his bending styles. Percy nodded, his spirits dropping. With his sister out of the picture, Jason was the only airbender in existence. Where would they ever find somebody to teach him?

“I can learn by myself,” Jason assured Percy. “Thalia taught herself, and even mastered airbending. If she could do it, so can I.”

Percy wasn’t convinced. If anything, it sounded like Jason was only trying to convince himself.

He leaned forward on his mat, taking a big gulp of five flavor soup, his favorite meal. The blue tint reminded him of the sea, and the chunks of meat almost looked like little boats sailing around. “So, what’s next for us?”

“Us?” Jason looked up from his own bowl of soup.

“Yeah, us!” Percy set his bowl down. “We can’t save the world if we stay in the South Pole!”

“Save the world?” Jason nearly spit his soup out. “I don’t know about all of that.”

“Dude, you’re the Avatar!” Percy stood up, taking his bowl with him. “Aren’t you supposed to save the world?”

“I don’t know! I’ve only been the Avatar for a day!” Jason sighed heavily. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“That’s where I come in!” Percy rinsed his bowl out, setting it aside. He turned back to Jason, who was fiddling with his spoon at the edge of his mostly empty bowl. “I need a waterbending master, and so do you. There’s only one place in the world where we can find one.”

Jason’s eyes brightened. “The Northern Water Tribe?”

“Yes!” Percy sat back down beside his new friend. “I don’t know a thing about airbending, but it’s going to take a while to get to the North Pole. Along the way, you can practice it! Maybe by the time we get there, you’ll have mastered it, or at least made a ton of progress.”

The Avatar sat hunched over, stewing over the plan. “You really think I can master airbending by myself?”

“Of course!” Percy said, only partially lying. He wasn’t sure, honestly. He didn’t know a thing about airbending, and it was clear that Jason didn’t either. Still, an airbending master wasn’t going to appear out of thin air. They needed to work with what they had, and at the moment, all Jason had was Percy. Somehow, that would have to be enough.

“I can even help you practice,” Percy added. “I’m sure it’s really different from waterbending, but we can still spar with our own powers. Think about it. What activated your waterbending?”

It was like a lantern lit up above Jason’s head. “You attacking me! That wasn’t very nice, by the way. What would you have done if I were just an airbender?”

“I...uh…” Percy shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Anyway, maybe you fighting me will wake up more powers, like it did with your waterbending?”

Jason nodded slowly. “Yeah, that might work.” His expression hardened. “Okay, let’s go to the North Pole.”

They stayed in the South Pole for a day more, preparing for the journey. They gathered their supplies together, Tyson helping them and crushing Percy with one of his signature bear hugs at least twice every hour.

“I’m gonna miss you so much,” Tyson sobbed into Percy’s shoulder.

Percy patted him on the back. “I know, big guy. But you need to stay back here. Without me, you’ll be the only one left who can protect the village.”

Tyson pulled away from him, wiping a tear from his single eye. The other eye was permanently closed, a daily reminder of all that had been taken from them. Percy vowed to himself that no one would ever,  _ ever  _ hurt him or his family again. Now, with the Avatar by his side, that might just be possible.

“Don’t get hurt, please,” Tyson said, his goofy grin back on his face where it belonged, like no one had ever done him wrong. “And don’t let Jason get trapped in another iceberg!”

Percy held back a laugh. “I won’t buddy.”

To his surprise, Grover had offered to come along with them instead. As it turned out, before his service in the Earth Kingdom Navy had started, he had been trained for one specific purpose: finding and protecting the Avatar. After the slaughter of the Air Nomads, he was sent to fight on the frontlines, his old task forgotten. Now that he had an opportunity to do what he had always dreamed of, he refused to pass it up.

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Percy had asked him, glancing at the canes Grover was leaning on. “I mean, your legs…”

“I’ll be fine,” Grover had promised. “Besides, I know how to navigate the world better than anyone. You’ll need a guide, won’t you?”

Percy had agreed, if a little reluctantly, and suddenly Team Avatar had three members. When it was time for them to leave, Sally and Tyson came to see them off. With one last hug from each of them, they were ready to start their journey north. The boys stood at the edge of their village, gazing out into the horizon.

“So, uh…” Percy started, looking over at Jason. He was decked out in Water Tribe clothing, his Earth Kingdom robes discarded. He had his hood pulled over his head, obscuring his face. “How are we gonna get there? I mean, we don’t exactly have a boat. Well, we have a canoe, but I don’t think we can take that all the way to the North Pole.”

Jason smiled. “I might have an idea.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white whistle. It was carved from bone, with strange symbols on its side.

“What’s that?” Percy asked, eyeing the tool.

“A gift from my father.” Jason turned the whistle over in his hands. “He gave me this the last time I saw him. He told me I’d know when it was time to use it.”

He drew the whistle to his lips. No sound came out, only a faint puff of air.

“Is it broken?”

A large shadow blanketed them before Jason could say anything. Their heads jerked upward, watching the shadow grow closer and closer until a massive creature settled beside them.

Percy leaned forward. “Is that…”

The creature was gigantic, bigger than even the polar bear dogs that some people in the village kept as hunting companions. It had six legs, three on either side, a short, pointy set of horns, and a large, flat tail that was idly splashing against the water. A brown stripe of fun ran across its back, ending in an arrow shape over its head.

“A sky bison,” Jason breathed. “The last of its kind.”

“I don’t believe it.” Grover took a few steps forward, reaching out to touch its white fur. “They told us all the sky bison were killed off.”

“Not this one, apparently,” Percy said, moving closer to get a better look. The sky bison turned, setting its two huge eyes on him. “I wonder how it survived this long.”

Jason tucked the whistle back into his pocket. He walked around the front of the bison, slowly reaching out to touch its nose. The bison let out a low whine, nudging closer into Jason’s touch. The Avatar smiled wider than Percy had seen him since they’d found him in the ice.

“Tempest,” Jason said softly, his words only meant for the bison. “That’s your name, right?”

Tempest blew a puff of air from his nose, eyes closing in contentment. Jason dropped his hand to his side. He turned to his companions, his expression returning to the neutral, stoic look Percy has grown used to seeing. “Let’s get going.”

Boarding the bison was surprisingly difficult, but the saddle atop his back was roomy and held them easily. Percy leaned his back up against the edge of the saddle, letting his muscles go slack. “I can get used to this.”

Grover was busy securing their supplies with ropes. He tied a final knot and sat down, resting his canes beside him. “Beats a navy ship by a long shot. I always hated those things. I get seasick.”

“I hope you don’t get airsick,” Percy joked. “Wait, is airsickness a thing?”

Before he got an answer, he heard Jason cry, “Tempest, yip yip!” Percy felt a jolt, and suddenly they were airborne. They rose, high above the village, the tents shrinking until they were barely tiny specks on the ice. Percy looked up at Jason, who seemed at home behind Tempest’s reins. They flew off into the horizon, the endless sea inviting them closer and closer, until there was no sight of land left.

Percy sank further against the saddle, until he was practically laying down. He folded his hands over his stomach and sighed happily.

“Destiny, here we come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins!
> 
> Comments are appreciated. I've got a pretty solid outline for how this story will go, but things are still subject to change, so if there's anything you want to see, let me know! Things will be mostly gen to start out with, and I don't want to put a huge emphasis on relationships until much later. That being said, I only have one relationship planned (which will remain a surprise until the characters appear), so if you want a certain ship to happen, go ahead and comment which one it is. I'll be keeping an eye out!
> 
> I want to make it clear that even though some of the characters' ages in this fic will be different from canon, I will NOT be writing any relationships that have a very large age gap in canon, so please don't suggest any of those.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	2. Jason Finds What He's Looking For (Sort Of)

“So, captain, where are we headed?”

Jason studied the vast, blue horizon. “The Southern Air Temple. I need to see it for myself. Maybe there I can learn more about airbending.”

It wasn’t a lie. Jason needed to find out everything he could about the Air Nomads. it was the only way for him to master the element, and with the airbenders gone, he had nowhere else to look. What he didn’t tell his new friends was that he had another reason entirely for going to the Southern Air Temple, one that was far more selfish.

_“Jason!” Thalia panted, throwing a blast of air behind her at the soldiers chasing them. “If we get split up, I need you to go to the Southern Air Temple! We’ll be safe there!”_

_Before Jason could reply, he cried out in pain. A flame struck his left leg, rendering it useless. He collapsed, only hearing Thalia’s screaming before he blacked out._

Jason ran a hand over his scarred leg. Though the pain was now gone, he could still feel the phantom flames lapping over his skin. “We don’t have to stay for long. Just let me check the place out for clues, and then we’ll head for the North Pole.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Percy said, absentmindedly twirling a strand of water between his hands. Grover was fiddling with his pan pipe, seemingly uncaring of their travel plans. Jason silently thanked the gods that no one objected to their first destination.

After a few more hours of flying and stifled conversation, an island appeared over the horizon. Jagged mountains rose up from the water, their peaks warding off unwanted guests. The Southern Air Temple was a hard place to reach, except for the Air Nomads that made their pilgrimages there. It was a miracle that the Fire Nation troops had even found it, let alone conquered it, Jason thought bitterly.

They flew the length of the island, Jason keeping his eyes peeled for the temple. Finally, the pearly towers and intricate staircases faded into view, and Jason breathed a sigh of relief. Within a few minutes, Jason would find out if their detour was a lost cause or if it was the right move after all. He tried to keep his eagerness under check, knowing that in the end he’d only end up more heartbroken than he already was. Still, that small shred of hope did flips inside his chest as the temple grew closer and closer.

Tempest settled on a wide pavilion, collapsing into a heap as the passengers hopped onto the stone ground. Grover immediately took interest in one of the trees planted nearby, reaching up to pull one of the low-hanging branches down. He plucked a clump of berries and studied it.

“I wonder if these are edible,” he said, pulling one of the dark red berries from its vine. “It would be nice to finally eat something other than fish. No offense, Percy.”

“I take full offense, actually.” Percy was on the other side of the pavilion, staring down a statue of some old monk. “This dude must have been a big deal, huh?”

Jason took a good look at the statue. It depicted a tall, lean man wearing traditional robes. He had a shaved head, as all air nomads did, as well as the signature arrow tattoos. He had a bushy beard, twisting in all directions like it was blowing in the wind. 

“That’s Monk Notus.”

“Really?” Percy looked away from the statue, turning to face Jason. “How’d you know that? You met the guy before?”

Jason felt a throbbing pain in the back of his head. Images flashed behind his eyes, but they were too cloudy for him to make out a single one. He cradled his head in his hand. 

“I...I don’t know.”

Percy let out a low whistle. “Oh-kay. That was weird. Come on, let’s see what else they’ve got here.”

Jason pushed the fragmented memories out of his mind. What mattered most was Thalia, not whatever weird Avatar nonsense was going on within his subconscious. He pulled away from the statue, fixing his attention on a doorway behind it.

“Here, I’ll go this way,” he said, mostly to Percy, Grover seemed too preoccupied with the plantlife to be any help searching the temple. “You can check out the other side of the temple, okay? We’ll meet up at the big tower when we’re done. Grover, can you make sure Tempest gets some food and water? That fountain at the base should be large enough for him to drink from.”

Grover nodded in reply, immediately heading down the slope to the fountain. Percy, however, stayed in his place, giving him a long look. “Whatever you say, your highness.”

“Excuse me?” Jason raised an eyebrow at the waterbender. 

Percy held his hands out in front of him. His sideways grin put Jason at ease. “I’m just kidding! Jeez, I guess I’ve gotta lay off the jokes, huh?”

As he ducked into the tower, Percy muttered some other words about ‘sensitive world saviors’ and ‘no one appreciated humor around here’. Jason just shook his head and went on his merry way into the old, decrepit tower in front of him.

It didn’t take him long to search the entire west side of the temple. It was mostly winding corridors, dusty old bedrooms, and empty common rooms. Though they were sparsely furnished and had very little decoration, almost everything looked out of place, like it had been left in a hurry. Jason’s scowl deepened every time he passed an unmade bed or stray plate, knowing what had happened to their owners.

Once he was sure he had checked every last corner, he ascended to the tallest tower at the temple. There, Percy was waiting for him, unsurprisingly. 

“Took you long enough,” Percy joked. He was fidgeting with his sword, which he must have grabbed from Tempest since they’d last seen each other. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Jason said, staring up at the top of the tower. “I don’t think we’ll find anything worthwhile here. Once we’re done with this, let’s just make camp for the night. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

Percy nodded, just a hint of concern on his face. He didn’t say anything, he just fell in behind Jason as they started to ascend the endless spiral staircase.

As they climbed, Jason felt a darkness twisting in his gut. If they climbed to the top and found nothing at all, like he was expecting, then that was it. Any chances of finding his sister again would disappear into the wind. Thalia was strong, stronger than Jason could even dream of, but the world was a large place. A new threat loomed around every corner. The odds of Thalia being out there somewhere, safe and not locked away in some Fire Nation prison, were one in a million.

His bad mood must have been obvious, because Percy was staring right at him, something akin to sympathy in his eyes. “It must be hard being here, with what all happened.”

“It doesn’t really bother me,” Jason told him. Great, Percy had caught onto the second biggest thing that was bothering him at the moment. He ran his hand over the marble railing. “I mean, it’s terrible that it happened, but I didn’t really know any of them, you know? Just my father, and I barely remember him.”

Jason was almost unnerved with how Percy could read him like a book. It was true, Jason had never known any of the Air Nomads. Still, every corner of the temple felt familiar, like he’d walked those same steps a million times, in a million different pairs of shoes. Each time he thought he’d finally latched onto a single memory, something solid, it flitted away just as quickly as it came. Just the thought of it made his head swim. Still, feelings didn’t need a solid reason to be present. With every step, Jason felt more of their pain, generations worth of it. It was almost unbearable.

“I think I see the top!” Percy called, dragging Jason from his thoughts. A small sliver of light appeared above them, getting bigger with every step. Finally, they came out into a large, circular room. The roof above them was a vast dome made of glittering marble. A balcony jutted out from about halfway up, wrapping around the entire length of the room.

Percy immediately went to the large window on the opposite side of the room. He leaned out, looking out across the horizon. “I can almost see the South Pole from here! Wait, is that Grover? Hey, Grover!”

Jason walked over to Percy. He saw the Earth Kingdom soldier waving at them from below. He was leaning against a tree close to the fountain, where Tempest was slurping the pristine water. Jason couldn’t fathom how the water was still so clear after years of neglect, chalking it up to the genius of the Air Nomads who had lived here before.

Percy pulled away from the window and looked at Jason. “Guess that’s it, then. You find anything interesting here?”

Jason shook his head. “No, not really. I don’t know what I expected to find. Just felt drawn here, I guess.”

“It was worth a shot. Let’s g-” Percy froze, eyes darting to a far corner of the room. Jason mirrored him, the hairs on his neck standing straight up. A small _thud_ had sounded from behind them, like something had fallen over - or been knocked over. 

“Did you hear that?”

“ _Shhhh!”_ Percy drew his sword, standing on guard. He moved himself in front of Jason, like he was guarding him. Jason huffed in annoyance, but didn’t protest. They slowly approached, eyes scanning the room around them for any sign of movement.

A black notebook flew across the room, hitting Percy right across the head. He heard a small yelp before the waterbender crumbled to the floor, sword clattering uselessly beside him. Jason swung against their assailant, landing a hit right on their stomach. The person grunted, then punched him in the jaw. All he saw was a flash of blonde hair and angry, stormy grey eyes.

“Ow!” Jason threw a blast of air in his attacker’s direction, successfully knocking them to the ground. He finally caught a good look at the person. It was a girl, no older than him or Percy, with long blonde hair tied back in a bun. She glared at him, scrambling to rise to her feet, then stopped when Jason raised a fist at her.

“Who the hell are you?” The stranger spat. “I’m not doing anything wrong here.”

“I should be asking you the same thing,” he said, not moving a muscle. “Did the Fire Nation send you?”

“Fire Nation?” She shook her head, leaning back a little. “No, no. I’m from the Earth Kingdom. I’m a student.”

Jason let his guard drop. He gave her a crooked smile. “Where did a student learn to fight like that?”

“Long story.” The girl rose to her feet, extending a hand. “I’m Annabeth Chase.”

Jason hesitantly shook her hand. It was calloused, with cracked knuckles. The hands of a fighter. “Jason Grace. I’m-”

“Not from the Earth Kingdom,” Annabeth finished for him. She raised her eyebrows, staring at him as if she were solving a math problem. “Care to explain that for me?”

“It’s...also a long story.” Jason glanced back at Percy, who was . “Let’s take care of him first. We can exchange pleasantries after we get him down from this tower.”

Annabeth looked at Percy, shoulders drooping sheepishly. “Right. Sorry about that.”

“No worries. Just don’t do it again when you meet our other friend, okay?”

“No promises,” she tried to joke, but Jason was too wary of the stranger to not take it as an indirect threat. He sighed and threw Percy’s arm over his shoulder, hoisting him up. Percy was unresponsive, so Jason leaned down and lifted him into his arms, bridal style. Grover would probably get a kick out of this.

They descended the tower, Jason watching Annabeth with distrust. She carried Percy’s sword (probably a terrible idea, but Jason couldn’t carry both it and Percy), as well as the black leather notebook she had used to knock the guy out earlier. She kept her eyes in front of her the entire time, never looking back at Jason or Percy. When they finally reached the doorway, Jason carried Percy over a flat spot on the pavilion next to a slumbering Tempest.

Grover emerged from behind the massive bison. “Oh hey, you guys are - woah!”

Annabeth gripped Percy’s sword a little too tightly. Jason held his hands up. “It’s okay, he’s with us. Grover, this is Annabeth. Annabeth, Grover.”

Grover looked between them both. “That explains nothing. Why’s Percy passed out? And why is she here?”

“Annabeth was just about to explain that, actually.” Jason gave Annabeth a stern look. The girl was still holding Percy’s sword with one hand, cradling her notebook close to her chest with the other. For the first time, she looked worried. “Wanna tell us exactly what you’re doing here?”

Annabeth carefully set Percy’s sword down next to his sleeping form. Then, she sat down, a good five feet away from them all. She flipped open her notebook to show a detailed sketch of the room they had just been inside. Around it were some scribbled notes in tidy handwriting, some numbers and formulas that meant nothing to Jason but clearly held some intellectual value.

“I’m a student. I study at Ba Sing Se University. Or, at least, I did.” She closed her notebook, setting it down in her lap. “I was granted a leave to research architecture around the world. I’ve been to the other Air Temples, but this was my last stop.” Her expression hardened. “I was promised I would be left _alone._ ”

“To be fair, we weren’t expecting any company either,” Jason said. He sat down next to Percy, brushing a piece of hair away from his face. This was the calmest Jason had seen him since they’d started their journey, and it was all thanks to some random civilian knocking him out with a notebook. When he woke up, he would either be pissed off or die of embarrassment. “We just came here to scope out the place. I wanted to see what was left after...you know.”

“So it’s really you,” Annabeth murmured. “An airbender. But how-”

“How did I survive?” Jason laughed, humorlessly. “Great question. I’ve been asking myself that for years.”

“But you’re so young,” Annabeth mused. “You can’t be older than me. Not with that baby face. You must have been born after the Fire Nation attacked. Are there more of you?”

“No,” Jason said. He looked up at the abandoned temple, eyes following the vines that crept up the sides of the walls. “I’m the last one. And I’m older than I look.”

“He was trapped in an iceberg,” Grover offered. Jason jumped. He had forgotten the soldier was there, dutifully setting up camp behind them. Once he recovered, Jason glared at the ground. He really wished that people would stop telling everyone about the iceberg thing.

Annabeth tilted her head, but said nothing. Apparently, she didn’t need any elaboration on that detail. Jason silently thanked whatever gods were listening. Instead, she asked, “If you knew what happened here, why did you come anyway?”

Great, another question Jason wasn’t ready to answer. He traced a crack in the stone ground with his index finger. “Anything that can help. Being the last airbender means that I don’t exactly have access to anyone who can train me. I was looking for clues.”

Annabeth huffed, though it seemed it was more at herself than Jason. “You won’t find anything here. The Fire Nation destroyed all their writings, their knowledge. Taking away their lives wasn’t enough for those monsters.”

Jason looked up at her. Her face was twisted in anger, more than he expected from a scholar in pursuit of knowledge. She acted like they had personally wronged her. Bitterly, Jason thought that it wasn’t too unusual. Everyone he had met had had something taken from them by the Fire Nation. Whatever it was, Annabeth probably wasn’t willing to tell a complete stranger, so he dropped it.

“Yeah, I guess I’ll have to keep looking. I’m just worried that I won’t have enough time to find what I need before…” He trailed off, but from the look in her eyes, Annabeth had already guessed where he was going with that.

The girl smiled at him. “I might be able to help you with that. I’ve been all over the world, and studied each of the temples pretty thoroughly. If you need any pointers, I’d be happy to help.”

Behind them, Grover laughed. It sounded more like a goat bleating. “Thanks, but the role of navigator for the Avatar has already been taken.

Jason shot him a glare. _That_ detail had conveniently left out of their conversation until that exact moment. Annabeth, however, seemed unfazed. 

“So, you’re the Avatar, huh?”

Jason’s shoulders dropped in defeat. “You had already guessed that, hadn’t you?”

Annabeth shrugged. “It was kind of obvious.”

Sure, it was obvious. Obvious to everyone except for Jason, apparently. He stood up, shaking off the anger that was rising in his chest. “Well, now that you know all of our secrets, the least you can do is help us out for the night. Keep an eye on Percy, would you? He should be waking up any minute, unless you managed to put him in a coma with that notebook.”

Annabeth sighed, but complied. She moved closer to Percy, taking him by the shoulders and shifting him into a more comfortable position. Jason decided that she wasn’t a threat anymore, so she should be fine watching over him for the time being. Percy would probably object to the arrangement, but that was a problem for after he woke up.

Jason hopped up onto Tempest’s saddle, maneuvering a puff of air to help him get there. He sorted through their supplies, grabbing enough rations for the four to have dinner, before landing on the ground again. He gathered some stray branches from around the grounds to build a small fire for them and set to cooking their food. 

As he stoked the flames, Grover sat down beside him. “You trust her?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Jason watched Annabeth and Percy. The scholar had propped his head up against Tempest’s tail. From here, it looked like Percy was only resting his eyes. Annabeth was watching him attentively, occasionally glancing around them like she was assessing any possible threats.

Jason looked back at Grover. “Yeah, I think she’s safe. What do you think?”

Grover unscrewed his canteen and took a sip. He swallowed, then said, “I trust her, I mean, what she did to Percy wasn’t okay, but she was just defending herself. Seeing other people here must have really spooked her.”

“Yeah, plus she’s already making up for it.” Jason absently stirred at their sizzling dinner with a wooden fork. “You think she’ll want to come with us?”

Grover crooked a bushy eyebrow at him. “Can we afford another person?”

“I think so. We have plenty of rations for a fourth person. And Tempest won’t be bothered by the extra weight.” _Because that space was meant for Thalia,_ a voice in the back of his mind screamed, but he pushed those thoughts away. Thalia was a lost cause, he needed to accept that already so he could move forward with the journey. He took a deep breath and added, “But it’s up to Percy. And Annabeth, obviously. She might not even want to come with us.”

The sight of their guest staring down at Percy, like he was all that mattered in the world, was enough to negate that last comment. Grover was apparently on the same page, because he gave Jason a knowing look before going back to join the other two. 

Jason sat at the fire for several more minutes, making sure their food was cooked all the way through, before he carried the steaming pot over to where the other three were sitting. He scooped portions into wooden bowls for Grover and Annabeth, then for himself, leaving a small amount aside in case Percy woke up soon. The waterbender was still out like a light, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Jason gently touched his shoulder before he sat down and dug into his food.

Dinner was mostly quiet. Jason and Grover briefly discussed their travel plans, agreeing to head Northeast towards the Earth Kingdom mainland. From there, they would travel up the coast towards the Northern Water Tribe, like they planned to. The longer they talked, the more Jason felt deflated. Annabeth didn’t comment on their plans, only ate her meal quietly as she watched over Percy.

Surprisingly, Annabeth volunteered to clean up after dinner, letting Jason take over her watch for the moment. Jason agreed, taking her place silently. Percy was still blissfully unconscious. The longer he was out, the more angry he would probably be when he woke up. Jason tried not to worry about how the waterbender would react later. He asked Grover to watch Percy before he went to scope out a nearby building for a place for them all to sleep. He poked around for a good while, inspecting each empty bedroom like he had earlier.

“This one’s no good,” Annabeth said from the doorway. Jason turned to look at her. She had untied her hair at some point, letting the blonde locks tumble over her shoulders. She gestured with her shoulder. “It gets too cold at night. Here, let me show you where I’ve been sleeping.”

Annabeth led him to another building close by, this one significantly warmer than the last. Its insulation must have held up better than the last, Jason thought. He followed her into a corridor with a couple of bedrooms on each side.

“This is the room I’ve been using,” she said, gesturing to a small cot. Around it were a couple of worn books and crumpled sheets of paper. A small, unlit lantern sat on a stool next to the cot. She flicked a match and lit it, then looked up at Jason. “Percy can sleep here tonight. It'll be more comfortable than the floor. I can also set up rooms for you and Grover.”

Jason nodded, head tilted slightly to the side. It was unsettling how quickly this stranger had adjusted to working with him. Annabeth was sharp, innovative, yet fine with following orders. He wondered where that came from. His own experience with formal education was, well, nonexistent, but from his understanding, normal schools or even universities weren’t intense enough to shape someone into the person Annabeth clearly was. He wondered where that instinct came from.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” he finally said. “We have sleeping bags on Tempest. I can have Grover bring them.

“Thank you,” Annabeth said. She gave him a small smile. “I really am sorry about earlier. Do you trust me now?”

Jason considered her question. He really shouldn’t be so willing to trust everyone he came across. If they happened to meet another stranger like her in whatever Earth Kingdom village they landed in next, he would have to put his guard back up. Still, this was different. Annabeth seemed genuine. Not only that, but she seemed like she could manage herself. In such dire times, people like that were probably hard to come across. “I do trust you. So does Grover. But it’s not only up to us.”

“I get that,” Annabeth said with a grimace. She fiddled with a stray piece of paper she’d picked up from her bed.

“So you’re thinking about it,” Jason said. “Joining us.”

Annabeth tried to seem casual about the comment, but Jason could tell that she was hanging onto every word. Her stormy grey eyes met his own. “If you’ll have me. All of you.”

With a small shrug, Jason turned away. Over his shoulder, he said, “Don’t stress about it yet. We can save that for when Percy wakes up.”

By the time he made it back to the corridor, Percy cradled in his arms and Grover trailing behind, Annabeth was there waiting for him. Her foot was tapping the stone ground like she was agitated, or just anxious. She wordlessly stepped aside so Jason could set Percy down on the cot. Percy’s head lolled to the side, a trial of drool running down his chin. Jason almost laughed at the sight.

He looked up at the other two, who were watching from the doorway. “Go get some rest. I’ll take the first watch for him. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn.”

The last part he said was directly to Grover. The soldier nodded, turning to hand Annabeth one of the bedrolls. He noticed that Grover had given her the bright blue bundle, Percy’s own bedroll. He shot Grover a look, then sat down on the stool next to Percy.

Percy started to stir a few minutes after Jason's watch had started. He rolled over, eyes squinting at him as they opened.

"Jason?" Percy mumbled. He tried to sit up, struggling as his muscles fought him. "Wha-"

" _Shhhh._ " Jason steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. "You've been out for a few hours. How do you feel?"

"Like garbage," Percy murmured, laying back down. "What happened?"

Jason shifted nervously. Percy was hardly in any shape to find out that he'd been knocked out for several hours with a notebook of all things. "There was a fight, remember? You were, uh, injured. You lost consciousness for a while. But don't worry, we're safe now."

Percy seemed satisfied with this. HE closed his eyes again, letting out a long sigh. "Must have been some fight. I'm going back to sleep."

Smiling, Jason adjusted the blankets around Percy's shoulders. "You go right ahead."

It was highly unlikely that Percy had even heard Jason's words before he fell asleep. Jason leaned back in his seat when he heard Percy's soft snores start back up.

The first watch passed by quickly after that. Jason was able to watch Percy with more ease, knowing he had woken up with no issues. The knot on his head still looked nasty, but if it didn't go away soon, they could always track down a healer for help. All that mattered was that Percy was okay.

Once his shift was up, Jason went to wake Grover. The man was sound asleep, faint snores echoing through the otherwise empty room. Jason gently shook him, and Grover rolled over with a loud yawn. He nodded to him before grabbing his canes from the side of his sleeping bag and heading down the hall to Percy. Jason rolled out his own bedroll beside him and tried to shush his racing thoughts so he could get some rest.

That night, Jason dreamed of soaring through the air. He wasn’t using the gliders the Air Nomads once used, or even the air scooter that Thalia taught him to conjure with his airbending. He was simply flying, nothing attached to him, nothing aiding him. He felt so free, like nothing could possibly bring him down. Then suddenly, he felt every inch of his skin burning, like his blood itself was boiling. A crash resounded all around him, filling his ears until he couldn’t even hear the rushing wind over it. The light around him was blinding. He felt himself falling, endlessly, unable to stop himself as the ground got closer and closer and closer-

When he woke up, Jason shivered. He brushed his hair back with a trembling hand. It was just a dream, he told himself.

After changing his clothes and packing his things up on Tempest, Jason went back to check on his other friends. He came into Annabeth’s room just as Percy was starting to wake up. The boy rolled over to the side, blinking the sleep from his eyes. The boy slowly sat up, jumping when he saw the stranger sitting by his bedside. “What the hell-”

“Percy, this is Annabeth,” Jason said with a crooked grin. “Don’t worry, she’s friendly. For the most part.”

Percy looked back at the girl, who hadn’t moved from his bedside. She had scooted back a little to give him some space, the rag laying across her lap. Percy just stared at her, sea green eyes wide and angry.

“You’re the one who knocked me out, aren't you?” Percy sat back against the stone wall, looking more annoyed at himself than the girl now. He glared down at his hands, then back at Annabeth. “Well?”

Annabeth stood up, grabbing the rag and bucket. “You drool in your sleep.”

With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared through the doorway, leaving behind a confused Percy blinking helpless at the stranger.

Percy shot Jason a wary look. “Glad to see you're making new friends,” he said dryly.

Jason winced. “I wasn’t expecting it either, but she seems trustworthy. She hadn’t tried to maim anyone else with that notebook.

Percy folded his arms, cheeks burning red. “So, what now?”

Jason came over and sat on the ground, at the foot of Percy’s cot. He wrapped his arms around his knees and drew them close to his body. “Now, we head north. Got any ideas for our first stop?”

“Not really,” Percy said. He scratched the back of his neck absently. “Grover should know where to head next, though. We’ll just leave it up to him.”

“Or Annabeth,” Jason said with a slight grin. When Percy gave him a withering look, he added, “She’s a student at Ba Sing Se University. I’m willing to bet she knows all about the Earth Kingdom.”

“Maybe from a textbook,” Percy huffed. “Grover knows the land because he’s _been_ to all those places. You sure are quick to trust this stranger who literally knocked me out, aren’t you?”

Jason threw his hands up. “Hey, she was just defending herself! Besides, we can’t afford to go around making enemies. If she’s willing to help, we’re better off accepting it.”

Percy seemed to consider his words. Then, his chapped lips crooked up at the sides. “Fair point, breezy. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Jason chose to ignore the new nickname. “So, you’re okay with her coming with us?”

“As long as she keeps that stupid notebook away from me,” Percy grumbled, rubbing at the back of his head where he had been struck. He turned and rose from the cot, Jason following suit, before asking, “Is Grover okay with it?”

Jason nodded. It was a bit strange how Percy seemed to trust Grover’s judgement more than his own, let alone Jason’s. He supposed that if Percy were to blindly trust anyone on this team, Grover was the best possible choice. 

Percy seemed satisfied with his answer. He happily hummed as they made their way out to Tempest, where Grover was leaned over a small fire, apparently cooking their breakfast. Annabeth was leaning against a tree nearby, scribbling some notes in her black leather notebook. Percy visibly flinched when he saw it.

Annabeth looked up at them as they approached. “Oh good, you’re here. Breakfast is almost ready.”

Percy continued to glare at her, but Jason offered a small smile. “I’m gonna go do one last sweep of the temple. I’ll be back before it gets cold.”

He didn’t expect to find anything else, but Jason really needed an excuse to be alone for a bit before he was stuck on a sky bison for hours with three other people. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to look over the temple one more time. Maybe with fresh eyes, he would spot something he hadn’t noticed before.

Jason climbed a winding staircase, its railing overgrown with creeping vines. Small sprouts grew from the cracks in the stone, and a few slugs were slowly trailing across the surface in the morning light. When Jason reached the top, he stopped by a tree and leaned up against it closing his eyes and listening to the birds chirping and the gentle breeze picking up. He was still shaken up from his dream, and he figured that relaxing or a moment couldn’t hurt.

A branch snapped somewhere to his side. Jason’s eyes snapped open. He scanned the area around him for any sign of movement, already standing on guard for a fight. Then, a bundle of fur dropped out of the sky right onto Jason’s head.

“ _Arrgh!”_ He stumbled backwards, prying the creature off of his face. It stared back at him with massive eyes, its large ears twitching. Jason just stared at the strange animal.

“You’re a lemur, aren’t you?”’ Jason asked, uselessly. He knew it couldn't understand him, but he didn’t know what else to do. The lemur responded by climbing onto his shoulder and perching there. Jason smiled. “You seem friendly, at least.”

The lemur made a strange noise, but it didn’t sound threatening. It purred from its spot on his shoulder, and Jason scratched its ear gently. His bonding time with his new acquaintance, however, was cut short when he spotted a glint of something shiny in a dark corner under the tree.

Jason slowly stepped closer, reaching down to get a better look at the object. Lying on the ground was a thin metal chain with a small lightning bolt pendant at the center. His heart nearly stopped in his chest. He reached out to pick it up, cradling the necklace against his chest. Tears were already prickling in his eyes.

It was Thalia’s necklace. 

With a trembling hand, Jason held the necklace up to get a closer look, just to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. Sure enough, it was the same necklace Thalia used to wear every single day. Jason had never seen his sister without it. It was a gift from their father, given to her the last time either of them saw him. He noticed that the clasp was broken, like someone had torn it off with brute force. Not only that, but towards the center, there was a dark red-brown substance caked into the chain links. He nearly screamed when he realized what it was.

Whatever happened next, Jason couldn’t recall clearly. He felt the wind pick up around him, like it was about to storm, even though the skies were completely clear. In the distance, he could hear a boom of thunder. His feet slowly lifted off the ground, causing the lemur to leap off his shoulder and dart into the nearest building for shelter.

Then, everything went white. He felt a thousand hands reaching for him, a thousand voices calling his name. The sound was deafening, roaring in his ears like a thunderstorm. His own screams joined the chorus of voices until all he heard was the roar of blood pounding in his head.

Then, Jason fell, collapsing on the cold, hard ground. He groaned, rolling over onto his side.

“Jason!” He heard Percy cry. He looked up to see the waterbender running toward him, Annabeth trailing behind him. Percy offered him a hand, helping him to stand up.

“You okay, man?” Percy asked him, eyes wide with concern.

Jason wasn’t sure. He wasn’t entirely sure what had even happened to him, though he had a sneaking suspicion based on some stories he’d heard in passing. He looked up at Percy. “What exactly did you see?”

“All we heard was wind, like it was storming, and we saw you up in this air bubble. Your eyes were glowing, like they were when you came out of the iceberg. All the statues lit up too.”

Jason’s eyes widened. He stared down at his hands. “I did all of that?”

“Yeah, you did,” Percy said with a sympathetic smile. “Come on, you need to eat. Whatever just happened probably used up a bunch of your energy.”

Jason nodded. He slipped the necklace into his pocket. Percy gave him a look, but thankfully didn’t say anything. They started to head down the stairs, abruptly stopping when he heard Percy yelp.

“ _Ahhh!_ What is that thing?”

Trying to hold his laughter in, Jason watched as Percy batted at the lemur that was desperately clinging to the back of his neck.

“That’s my new friend,” Jason said, smiling. “I think he likes you.”

Percy glared at him, but his expression softened when the lemur purred against him. “Well, does your friend have a name yet?”

“Nope,” Jason said, letting the ‘p’ pop.

Percy looked at the lemur fondly, apparently already warming up to it. “Well, how about Blackjack? How do you like that?”

The lemur cooed in response, and Percy grinned wider than he had since the notebook incident. “Alright, Blackjack it is!”

Jason and Annabeth gave each other a look. Percy was already smitten with the lemur. From the looks of it, they would likely be inseparable.

They finally made it back to camp, where Grover was waiting for them. He quickly turned when he heard their footsteps getting closer.

“There you guys are!” The soldier exclaimed. “You’ve been gone forever, what happened?”

“I uh,” Jason started, shifting uncomfortably. “I may have accidentally unlocked the Avatar state.”

Percy laughed. He was scratching behind Blackjack’s ears, the lemur cooing loudly from his perch on Percy’s neck. “That wouldn't be the first time, now would it?”

Annabeth shot Jason a curious look, but he ignored it. “How about we just eat our breakfast and not worry about that?”

Grover started to scoop portions of food into bowls for each of them. “Here, I tried to keep it warm, but it might be a little burnt.”

If the food was burnt, Jason didn’t notice. After his little ordeal that morning, he could eat absolutely anything they put in front of him. He quietly scarfed down his breakfast while Grover explained the path to their next stop, Kyoshi Island.

“The warriors there honor the previous Avatar through their fighting style,” Grover explained through a full mouth. “They should be friendly to us. It’s safer than trying our luck with any other Earth Kingdom village.”

“Sounds good to me,” Percy said through a full mouth. He looked over at Blackjack, who was crunching on some berries by his side. “What do you think of the plan?”

Blackjack cooed in response, which Percy translated. “He’s in!”

Jason rolled his eyes. Annabeth looked between the three of them. “So, do you all have room for another?”

“Yeah, there’s plenty of room for Blackjack,” Percy said, earning a swat from Jason. Annabeth’s shoulders dropped slightly, but she perked up again when Jason looked at her.

“Of course there’s room,” he said warmly. Annabeth smiled at him, and they went back to eating in silence.

Once breakfast was over, Annabeth took the dishes to rinse off in the creek nearby. Jason went to secure the rest of their supplies on Tempest, double checking that they hadn’t left anything behind. Once he was sure everything was set, Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace. Seeing it was enough to draw tears from his eyes, but not enough to make him go berserk like he had earlier. He took a deep breath and slipped the necklace back into his pocket, the weight resting there much more heavily than the delicate object ought to.

“Are we all set?” Percy walked up behind him. Blackjack was resting on top of his head now, like some strange hat. Behind him, Annabeth was securing her small bag with the rest of their supplies, and Grover was already sitting down against the back of the saddle.

Jason looked out across the temple one final time. He hadn’t found what he was looking for, but between their new companions and the necklace, he was one step closer to figuring everything out. He turned back to Percy. “I think we are. Go get settled, I’ll have us in the air in no time.”

Percy obliged, taking up his usual place while Blackjack curled up against his side. Jason took up Tempest’s reins and sat down atop his neck, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Tempest, _yip yip!”_

And with that, they were off again, the Southern Air Temple and its ghosts already fading like a bad dream behind them.

~

Across the world, in a vast, dark throne room, lit only with red flames, a messenger unrolled a pristine scroll.

“My lady,” she said, bowing, before reading from the scroll. “A disturbance has occurred at Crescent Island Temple. Early in the morning, every statue’s eyes lit up, something we haven’t seen in over twenty years.”

“Get to the point,” a tall woman said from her throne, her hand waving tiredly.

The messenger cleared her throat. “My lady, we believe the Avatar has reawakened in the world.”

The woman leaned forward, eye gleaming in the flickering light. “Then what are you waiting for? Send General Kronos and his fleet immediately. Bring the Avatar back to me, _alive._ Is that clear?”

The messenger nodded, then hurried off. The woman sat back against her throne, summoning a small flame in the palm of her hand.

“At last,” she murmured to herself, mouth twisting into a mad grin. “The Avatar will be mine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth has joined Team Avatar! I was so excited to introduce her, y'all have no idea. Next stop is Kyoshi Island, where we'll see a couple familiar faces. 
> 
> Right now I have a tentative update schedule where new chapters will be posted on Wednesdays. I'm very busy with school, though, so if I don't always meet this goal, please don't yell at me lol.
> 
> Comments are appreciated! They make me write faster. :)


	3. Annabeth Wishes She Had Paid More Attention in Geography Class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short (and late) chapter today! My work and school schedule has been killing me, yall. I promise the next update will be better, and hopefully on time!

If there was one thing she was certain about, it was that Annabeth hated air travel.

They had been flying for about six hours, according to the Sun’s position over them. Annabeth had learned how to tell time by the Sun’s movement through the sky when she was just a girl. Her mother had pushed her very hard in her studies, even by Earth Kingdom standards. She had always believed that her mother was only trying to compensate for the embarrassment of her only child not being an earthbender like she was.

Annabeth blew a puff of air from the corner of her mouth. She was bored to tears, having read all of her books already and having nothing but the endless sea to sketch while they flew. Trying to do work up here was a lost cause anyway. Reading and writing had never come naturally to her, and the motion made the words float off the page even more than usual.

Reaching her arms above her head to stretch, Annabeth got up from her place on the saddle. She walked over to the front end, narrowly avoiding Percy’s sprawled limbs as he napped. In all honesty, she still wasn’t sure what to make of the waterbender. He had seemed to get over his bitterness over the little _incident_ of the previous day, but Percy still seemed reluctant to talk to or even look at her. She had caught him stealing a few glances throughout the day, but 

Annabeth leaned over the edge of the saddle. “How far to Kyoshi, captain?”

Jason looked up at her. His face was tinted red, probably from being out in the sun for so long. Annabeth made a mental note to find him a hat at their next stop.

“Not too far, but still a couple of hours. We should probably stop and make camp on the next island we find so Tempest can rest,” Jason yelled over the wind.

Annabeth frowned. There hadn’t been many islands along the way, and most of them seemed far too small for them to land on. It occurred to her that Jason had no idea what he was doing.

“I think we can make it,” Annabeth said. “If Tempest falls asleep in the air, you can blame it on me.”

Jason gave her a weary look, but didn’t protest. They would arrive at Kyoshi Island by nightfall and make camp there. She only hoped they wouldn’t run into any trouble once they got there. Grover had said that their people were friends of the Avatar, but still, Annabeth couldn’t help but worry. Worrying made her stay on guard, and staying on guard kept her alive and out of trouble - or, at least, in the right kind of trouble.

They landed on a rocky beach just short of sunset. The group immediately set to unpacking their things to make camp. Annabeth groaned at the thought of sleeping outdoors. The Southern Air Temple hadn’t been luxurious, but she had at least had a roof over her head there. Here, they would be sleeping under the stars. She was already shivering just thinking about it, longing for the temperate weather of Ba Sing Se.

Jason hopped down from Tempest, carrying the last of their supplies. “We should probably scout for threats. Grover, maybe you can start on dinner?”

Grover nodded. Percy, standing close to the other man, reflexively reached for his sword.

Jason seemed satisfied with this. “Great, we’ll split up. I’ll take the right, I think I saw something earlier that I want to check out. Percy, Annabeth, you guys can decide which side to take.”

Annabeth gave him a small smile. Jason was a natural leader, commanding and organized yet giving his teammates plenty of freedom to do things their own way. All he needed was a little guidance, and maybe some reassurance that he didn’t need to have all the answers. Annabeth looked at Percy, who was now absently swinging his sword around at invisible assailants.

“I’ll go straight ahead,” she said. “You want to take the left?”

Percy sheathed his sword, giving her an uneasy smile. “Yeah, sure. Meet back here in a bit?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s the whole point,” Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. She set off, following the trail dead ahead of her and ignoring the pair of sea green eyes that were following her.

This side of the island seemed to be uninhabited. There were a handful of trails, likely made by hunters, but she didn’t see another soul. She reasoned that it was the off season for whatever game they hunted here. Still, it was eerily quiet, the only noise being her own footsteps and the caw of some bird of prey close by.

The island itself was somewhat drab. The mountains were grey and lifeless, and the trees were sparse. Annabeth was already starting to feel antsy with how little there was to look at, not to mention that the barren landscape left her completely open to attack from all angles. She patted her knife, still concealed in her pocket, and let out a short breath.

Annabeth jolted when she heard a yell coming from the left.

_Percy._

She sprang into action, sprinting in the direction of the noise. The closer she got, the slower her approach was. She didn’t want to risk throwing herself into action carelessly and getting them both hurt.

As she got closer, she saw Percy and Jason fighting with a group of women. It was hard to tell how old they were, with their painted faces and elaborate costumes, but whoever they were, they were good. Every punch Jason threw or slice Percy attempted with his sword, they dodged flawlessly. They didn’t even seem winded after minutes of fighting.

Annabeth slowly crept forward. She felt helpless; she knew she wouldn’t be any use if she jumped into action with her new friends, not without any weapons. She was trained in hand-to-hand, but these women were clearly much better than her. She’d be no match, and Percy and Jason seemed more worn out with each passing second.

 _Thwap!_ Jason crumpled to the ground, causing Percy to yelp. At that moment, he saw Annabeth, a cry for help dying in his throat as one of the women kicked him to the ground.

“Over there!” Before Annabeth could move, she too was on the ground, kicking uselessly at her attackers. A young girl wordlessly unfurled a length of rope and crouched beside her.

The girl said nothing, continuing to bind Annabeth’s hands and feet. When she was done, she lifted Annabeth and threw her over her shoulder like a potato sack. Annabeth didn’t attempt to fight her, only sighed and gave the girl one firm, quick punched on the back.

Annabeth was thrown down in a dirt room, one with bars on the walls and only a small bench as furniture. With a thud, Percy and Grover were thrown in next to her, the latter’s canes sent rolling across the floor. Behind them, an unconscious Jason was set more gently on the bench. Annabeth glared at her assailant, who was taking her sweet time untying her hands. 

“What the hell is all of this for?” Annabeth shouted. “We didn’t do anything to you! We mean no harm!”

The girl scoffed, taking the ropes from Annabeth’s hands and moving onto Percy. “Tell that to your friend here. He hurt one of our girls.”

“Out of self defense!” Percy argued, but the girl ignored her.

Annabeth continued to glare. “Who are you?”

“A Kyoshi warrior,” she said plainly.

Rolling her eyes, Annabeth asked, “I meant your name.”

The girl pulled a length of rope from Percy’s hands, freeing him. “Bianca di Angelo.”

Percy seemed oblivious to this, but Annabeth and Grover immediately perked up. She had heard of the famous di Angelo’s, a wealthy family heavily involved in Earth Kingdom trade. Almost everything that came in the ports had a di Angelo 

Grover beat her to it. “Are you one of _the_ di Angelo’s?”

Bianca untied Grover and stood up tall. “I was. You’ll be hearing from our leader soon.”

“Good!” Percy yelled. “Maybe you can tell her we have the Avatar!”

The Kyoshi warrior laughed in his face. “Okay, waterbender. I’ll tell you that some boy who I kicked flat on his ass is the Avatar himself.”

With that, the door slammed shut, leaving the four behind in the dark.

Immediately, Percy’s head whipped around to Grover. “I thought you said this place is friendly!”

“I thought it was!” Grover held his hands up in defense. “The Kyoshi warriors honor the previous Avatar. I thought that if any place would accept us, it would be here!”

“They don’t believe we have the Avatar,” Annabeth realized, interrupting their squabble. “Bianca thought we were trying to say that Percy was the Avatar, remember?”

Percy frowned. “Well, we can’t exactly prove we have him. I mean look at him, he’s out cold!”

Behind them, Jason was snoring away. The warriors must have done quite the number on him. Annabeth sighed in defeat.

“Well, we’ll deal with that when he wakes up. It’s night now, and I doubt anything will happen before the morning,” Annabeth said with a tired smile. “We should just try to sleep. I’ll keep watch first.”

A grumpy looking Percy and exhausted Grover obliged, laying down in their respective places on the floor. As they slept, Annabeth alternated between watching the door and the slumbering Avatar, who only stirred once before falling back asleep.

In the morning, Bianca di Angelo came to the door again. This time, Jason was awake to meet her.

“Where’s your leader?” Jason’s voice was low and deadly.

Bianca flinched slightly, but held her ground. “She’s coming. I’ve been sent to wait with you.”

She stood in the doorway, silently, eyes looking between all of them.

Annabeth leaned forward. “You said you were a di Angelo?”

Bianca scowled at her, painted eyes crinkling. “I said I was.”

“What happened?” Percy blurted out. Annabeth wanted to slap him. She was getting at that, but she would have been much more subtle about it. Percy had just dived right in.

To her surprise, Bianca’s expression softened. “I was caught earthbending after the Fire Nation occupied our town. They took me away to a prison. It was on a rig where no one could use their powers because there wasn’t any earth to bend.”

“So how did you escape?” Annabeth asked.

Bianca smiled. “One of the Kyoshi warriors, Zoe, was in the same prison. When they tried to move us to another facility, we escaped together. She brought me here, and I joined their group. I’ve been here ever since.”

Percy nodded along as she told her story. He must have understood where she was coming from, with his own complicated history with the Fire Nation. Annabeth was sure he’d had to hide his own waterbending abilities when he was younger.

“Thank you for telling us,” Percy said, in a rare moment of tact.

Bianca shot him a crooked grin., “Don’t mention it. If you prove to be untrustworthy, you’ll be killed anyway.”

With a nervous gulp, Percy went silent again. They waited for a few more minutes, until a tall woman with a serious expression burst in the door.

The woman scanned the four of them, then turned to Bianca. “Where is this _Avatar_ you told me about?”

Bianca pointed at Percy, who waved his hands frantically. “No, no, you’ve got it all wrong! I’m not the Avatar, _he_ is!”

Percy pointed at Jason, who looked ready to die on the spot. Annabeth slapped her hand over her face.

Sheepishly, Jason raised his hand. “...I’m the Avatar?”

The leader of the Kyoshi warriors took a few long, sure steps forward. She looked Jason up and down, studying every inch of the guy, her shoulders taut. Then, to Annabeth’s shock, the woman relaxed, her smile breaking through the intense makeup.

“You have a scar on your lip,” the woman said, her soft voice in sharp contrast with the bark she’d used earlier. “You got it when you were two, the first time the Fire Nation came for us.”

Annabeth looked between them in confusion. Jason’s eyes became the size of plates. He rushed forward to crush the stranger in a hug, clinging to her for dear life. Under her breath, the woman mumbled ‘I found you’ over and over into Jason’s blonde hair.

“Uhhh, what’s going on?” Percy asked, brilliantly.

The pair broke apart, Jason giving them a sheepish look.

“Guys, this is my sister, Thalia,” he introduced. “The last airbending master.”

Naturally, a billion questions followed, mostly from Percy. They managed to cover all of their bases, such as, “How are you alive?” (airbending, duh), “How long have you been here?” (three years, give or take), “How did you become the leader of the Kyoshi warriors?” (by being awesome), and “Did you know Jason was in an iceberg for several years? (five, exactly, since I’m now twenty-nine). That last one was a shock to Jason, though he was glad to finally have a solid timeline of what had happened.

As they walked to the dining hall, Thalia playfully ruffled Jason’s hair. “I can’t believe my baby brother is the Avatar! Oh, we have so much to talk about!”

Jason frowned. “Actually, Thalia, I was wondering. Is there any way you can come with us? I still need to master airbending, but we’re headed to the Northern Water Tribe to find a waterbending master for Percy and me. We can’t stay long here.”

Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s no rush, Jason. We can stay as long as it takes for you to master airbending. Still, it would really help things if you could come with us, Thalia.”

Thalia gave them a sad smile. “I can’t. My girls need me here. Still, I can give Jason the crash course in mastering airbending. I may not be the most conventional master, but I’ve managed to survive this long, haven’t I?”

She turned to Jason and clapped him on the back. “In three days time, you’ll know everything I do."

They ate breakfast mostly in silence from there, letting Thalia and Jason catch up in hushed voices. Every once in a while, they would hug for seemingly no reason. The sight warmed Annabeth greatly, or maybe it was just the steaming bowl of oatmeal she was devouring.

For the rest of the day, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth watched Jason train with Thalia. Annabeth could hardly follow along with their quick movements. Air was different from the other elements. One could see rocks moving or water being pulled through the air, but air was completely invisible. Seeing Jason and Thalia knock each other out with a force she couldn't see was entertaining enough, but only for a while. Eventually, Annabeth wandered off to sketch various buildings until the sun was starting to set.

The days on Kyoshi passed by in a flash, and by their fifth day, they were ready to leave. Annabeth couldn't fathom how Jason ad mastered an entire element so quickly, chalking it up to his excellent teacher. To even more of her surprise, their expedition was gaining one more member.

"...Are you sure?" Annabeth asked for the third time as she stared down Bianca di Angelo, now stripped of her makeup and wearing more casual clothing. 

Bianca rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. For years, I've been hiding here, afraid that I'll be attacked for my earthbending. But seeing Percy and Jason being so unafraid, using their powers in the open...I don't know, it makes me want to go out there, you know? Maybe I'll even find my family again. Plus, Jason will eventually need to learn earthbending, remember?"

Annabeth smiled at the girl's words. She squeezed her shoulder. "Then you're very welcome with us. Come, let's get your things loaded up."

Jason was nearly sobbing when it was time for them to leave again. He gave Thalia one last hug, then another waved goodbye when he climbed atop Tempest. Thalia was also crying, her dark makeup running down her cheeks as she waved at them. Annabeth could have sworn she saw a thin metal chain around her neck that hadn't been there before.

Annabeth sat down at the front of the saddle, as close to Jason as she could get. "We'll come back to see her."

Jason's shoulders slumped. "Not until we've done what we need to do."

Frowning, Annabeth decided not to prod any further. She wondered what the airbender siblings had talked about when she wasn't around. It wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.

"Tempest, _yip yip!"_

Bianca yelped in alarm when they rose into the sky. Percy laughed at her, but immediately shut up when a large clump of seagull poop landed square on his shoulders. Just like that, the team was back to normal.

Annabeth smiled, but a certain sadness twinged in her chest. She pushed it down and decided not to worry about it until later. After all, they didn't have time to linger on anything for long. All they could do was keep moving forward, and that was what Annabeth was determined to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It didn't take long for Thalia to show up, now did it? All that angst for nothing. You've gotta give my girl more credit, of course she's thriving instead of being stuck in some random prison! I know we didn't get to see much of her and Jason, but that is coming in a later chapter that will be in Jason's POV! I promise you there is much more of the airbender siblings to come!
> 
> So, Bianca is part of the team now. This is an excellent time for me to remind you that there will be NO major character death in this story. Every character I have tagged will be alive and thriving be the end of the fic! There will be some minor character death, but nothing graphic. Any deaths that happen will likely be off screen. Still, any character that isn't tagged is fair game, so be warned.


	4. Jason Dodges the Hair Comb of Doom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry, folks! I've had a lot going on in my life, including a change of major, new medications, and all kinds of stress at work. However, the semester is almost over, which means I'll have more time to post soon!
> 
> I really hope you guys like this chapter! I had a completely different one written to start with, but I decided to post this one first. It has what will probably be one of my favorite scenes in this entire fic.

“You miss Thalia?”

Jason fiddled with the reigns. “She’s found her home. That’s all I could ever want for her.”

It was the truth. Jason was happy for his sister. Seeing her there, a steady rock, leading all those women with courage and determination, it was incredible. After so many years of having nowhere to go, nowhere to call home, she had finally found her own thing. Jason loved his sister more than anything in the world. He wanted her to be happy. What he didn’t say were the words weighing heavily on his mind. 

_Thalia has a home, and I don’t. I never will._

It was selfish of him, and he wanted to punch himself for even thinking it, but it wasn’t fair. None of it was fair. Thalia was happy doing her own thing, and Jason was stuck travelling to the other side of the world with people he barely knew, all because of something he couldn’t control. He didn’t _ask_ to be the Avatar. Hell, if it weren’t for Percy, he could have stayed in the iceberg for another hundred years, and it wouldn’t have changed a thing. But now, he was here, and he had to be the hero. Lucky him.

“That’s not what I asked.” Percy set his sword down, tossing the polishing cloth aside. “It’s okay to miss her, you know. You can take that tough guy mask off. We’re friends now, okay? Not just teammates, friends.”

“I know that,” Jason said, too stiffly. Percy gave him a sharp look. “I don’t know what you want from me here.”

“I want you to be honest with me,” Percy told him. He folded his arms. “I want to know how you really feel. I get the feeling you haven’t told anyone that.”

There he went again, reading Jason just like a book. Jason sighed. “I just feel lost, okay? Thalia’s gone and found this amazing home, and she’s a brilliant leader. People trust her, they look up to her. And in all that time she’s been off on that island, I’ve been stuck inside a stupid iceberg. How am I ever going to live up to that?”

“You don’t have to live up to anyone, Jason,” Percy said. He smiled at him, then looked up at the sky. “Well, except your past lives, I guess, but there’s like a billion of those, isn’t there? They can’t have all been great heroes, right? I mean, the last one kind of sucked, with letting the war start and everything.”

Jason glared at him. Percy ducked his head sheepishly. “Not helping. Sorry about that. But seriously, dude, don’t worry about it. You’re not supposed to be like anyone else. You’re just supposed to be Jason.”

“Well, ‘just Jason’ can’t defeat the Fire Nation, now can he?” Jason grumbled. He was holding Tempest’s reins so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

“Well...uh…” Percy stammered. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide. He pointed at something beneath them. “Look, land!”

Surely enough, there was a large strip of land directly ahead of them. A jagged, crescent shaped island poked out of the choppy waters below, boasting a large, ornate building on the broader side of the island. The land was black, like volcanic ash. Jason shivered, but still guided Tempest closer.

“Uh, Jason, where are we?”

Jason didn’t know how he knew the answer to the next question, yet it still tumbled out of his mouth. “The past Avatar’s temple. We’re within Fire Nation borders.”

Percy jolted at this. “What? How did they not stop us? Surely they would have spotted us by now!”

“I know,” Jason said, seriously. “We got lucky. Now, we have to be careful.”

“What’s going on?” Bianca had ventured over to where they were standing, an annoyed looking Annabeth on her heel. They both eyed Jason with cautious expressions.

“This guy led us right into the Fire Nation,” Percy said. His hand was already on the hilt of his sword. Jason gulped and dropped the reins.

“Look, something guided me here, okay?” Jason explained. He figured he had about thirty seconds to defend himself before the others started swinging. Even Grover looked upset, and the guy was never angry, except for maybe when a plant got trampled.

Annabeth swooped in between them. “Look, if he brought us here, it has to be important.” She turned to Jason, eyebrow crooked. “Right?”

Jason didn’t have a good answer for that. He really wished people would stop asking him questions. He wasn’t monk Boreas by any means - wait, who even was that? He cradles his head in his hands.

Percy threw his hands up. “Okay, okay, let’s just scope the place out and see what’s going on. Maybe Jason will go all glowy again and we’ll actually get somewhere.”

Jason chose to ignore that. He grabbed the reins and brought Tempest closer to the island, stopping on a cliff out of the temple’s sight. He tried to shake off the feeling of four pairs of eyes following his every move, just waiting for him to mess up.

Slowly, they each hopped off of the saddle, stepping onto the ashy ground. Jason could vaguely hear Percy griping about his ruined clothes, but he tried to tune it out. He held out his hand to help Bianca off of Tempest, but she ignored it and leapt onto the ground with all the grace one would expect from a Kyoshi warrior. Grover, however, took his hand and nodded appreciatively.

“So, what’s our plan?” Bianca asked, mostly to Percy. Jason huffed, but listened as the waterbender started to speak. He didn’t miss the look Annabeth shot him in response.

“I think we should just find a good place to sneak in,” Percy started. He was already peering over a low spot in the rocks, searching for a good place for them to get in. “How guarded can this place be?”

“You’d be surprised,” Annabeth told him. “The Fire Nation guards everything, even things they don’t expect anyone to attack.

“I think sneaking in is a good idea, actually,” Jason said, as if anyone was listening. Annabeth gave him a curious look, but he continued. “There’s a hidden doorway over this way. I don’t know how I remember it, but I do.”

“See, my plan wasn’t so bad!” Percy did a little victory dance, earning a laugh from Bianca and an even more murderous look from Annabeth. Grover seemed indifferent to the plans entirely.

“Hey Grover, you wanna stay behind and keep watch? They usually send out patrols at each hour of the day, so you might have to move Tempest around.” It was true, though Jason was once again unsure of how he even knew that, but he also knew that the interior of the Temple wouldn’t be very friendly to Grover’s injuries. Grover nodded, absently scratching at Tempest’s ears. Jason smiled, knowing his bison was in the best hands possible.

“Okay, team, let’s head out.”

The path to the temple was hazardous, to say the least. Jason kept stubbing his toes on different rocks laying in the path. At one point, he got fed up and started blowing them aside with his powers. He silently thanked Thalia for that trick, then felt a pang in his chest. As they followed the path, he thought back to his days of training with his sister.

_“Okay, this is the big one,” Thalia said, standing up straight. She had always been a natural warrior, even when she was still the scrappy teenager that pulled Jason out of trouble every time. Now, she towered over him, her boots the size of Jason’s head and probably able to crush him like a grape. Though he was only a bit shorter, he still felt like he had to crane his neck just to meet his sister’s eyes._

_Jason stood alert, awaiting instruction. Thalia slowly spun a strand of air up from the ground, swirling it around in small circles. Then, she pushed it into a nearby stone, one that was already battered from their training. It rolled aside like it weighed as much as a feather. Jason let out a low whistle._

_Thalia grinned. “You like that? Well, practice it once for me, then I’ll show you what this trick is actually about.”_

_Jason followed suit. He focused his energy into the air around him, peeling away a gust and spinning it lightly. Then, he rolled the stone away. It was slightly slower than when Thalia did it, but still, she nodded approvingly at his work._

_“Do it again.”_

_Jason did it again. And again. He kept moving that stone until it was nearly at the treeline. Each time, Thalia only looked at him expectantly, like his work wasn’t enough for her. Like it never would be._

_Huffing, Jason dropped his gust of air, letting it disperse all around him. “What’s the point of this?”_

_Thalia quirked an eyebrow. “Questioning my teaching? That’s bold of you, Mr. ‘I Can Barely Form an Air Scooter’.”_

_“Hey, I can totally form an air scooter!” Jason scoffed, boosting himself up on an air scooter to prove his point. Then, he slumped forward, resting his head in his hands._

_“What am I doing wrong here?”_

_“Nothing,” Thalia’s voice surprised him. He looked up to see her stroking her chin like an old scholar. “In fact, I’d say you’ve got this move down to perfection.”_

_Jason looked up at her, glumly. “So why are you making me do it over and over again?”_

_Thalia gestured toward one of the rocky hills nearby. “Let me show you something.”_

_She led him closer to the hill, so close that Jason had to crane his neck to see the top of it. Then, she leaned forward, arranging her limbs into a striking position. She called forth a gust of air, then sent it straight towards the hill. Jason’s jaw dropped as the entire hill split into two, the halves sagging to either side and sinking into the ground._

_“But...how...you’re an airbender!” Jason exclaimed, still trying to process what had happened._

_“I am. So are you,” Thalia said matter-of-factly. She came closer to him and grabbed his shoulder. “Air is a very powerful element, Jason. One good gust can slice through just about anything. But that’s not what I’m here to teach you today.”_

_Jason gulped. “What do you want me to learn?”_

_Thalia dropped her hand, then pointed at the hill, now sadly sitting in two halves. “Put it back together.”_

_“But how-”_

_“It’s just like the stone we were practicing with earlier,” Thalia assured him. Her electric blue eyes gleamed in the dusky light. “Just do what you did to move that stone.”_

_Jason took a deep breath. It sounded impossible, but he had just seen what he thought was impossible happen right before his eyes. He focused all of his energy into the air, drawing it near to him and holding it tight like a security blanket. Then, he folded it in on itself, letting it twirl into ropes. He sent the gusts outward, letting them split off into two halves. They rounded the mountain and began to push on the rocks. Jason let out a breath of relief as the hill started to move, closing the gap until it looked just as it did before._

_Thalia was grinning from ear to ear. “I knew you could do it.”_

_Jason tackled her in a hug in reply._

Now, Jason struggled to peel himself away from the memory. He had wanted nothing more than to stay, or better yet, for Thalia to come with them. He couldn’t help but feel a touch of anger whenever he saw Bianca, his constant reminder that Thalia could have been here in her place. Still, he tried to swallow those feelings down. He needed to focus and channel that energy into connecting with the past if he wanted to successfully lead his friends into that temple.

“Okay, guys, we’re almost at the entrance,” he announced, his voice slowing them to a halt. “Once we get there, it will take a firebender to open the door.”

Annabeth frowned at him. “How do you suggest we get around that?”

Jason mirrored her expression. “I don’t know,” he said grimly. “All I know is that this place will be crawling with fire sages. They guard the temple and take care of it. Maybe one of them will be friendly to the Avatar.”

“Or maybe,” Percy interjected. “We could kidnap one and make them lead us through the temple.”

“Percy, that’s a terrible idea,” Annabeth started, but was cut off by Bianca saying, “I’m in!” The scholar glared at her, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“No, there’s another way,” Jason brushed his plan off. Kidnapping a fire sage was more trouble than it was worth, and likely would end in disaster. There was only one other solution.

“I’ll have to fire bend to get us through here.”

Immediately, his friends erupted into a chorus of questions, but Jason ignored them, walking closer to the door. He closed his eyes and drew his energy outward.

“Dude, you can barely water bend. How are you gonna pull this off?” Percy said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “Let’s just find another way, okay?”

“Another way in?” A new voice jolted them all. Jason heard the zip of Percy’s sword being unsheathed. Jason himself had his hand on Tempest’s whistle before he has even turned around to see who the voice belonged to. A girl with fiery red hair, donning the traditional fire sage robes, smirked at them from a crag.

Percy set his jaw firmly. “Who are you?”

The girl held her hands up, still grinning like she had just been on a leisurely stroll when she came across them. “Calm down, I only work here.”

Jason didn’t think it was funny. He stepped forward, already conjuring a gust of air as a defense. “Answer the question.”

Looking him up and down, the girl whistled. “Wow. I have to say, when I woke up this morning, I didn’t think today would be the day the Avatar finally graced me with his presence.”

Jason faltered at this. “You know who I am?”

“Of course I do. It’s my job. Well, kind of. Come with me,” the girl said, leaping down from the crag she was perched on. She hopped down the trail, getting halfway there before turning back to look at the expectantly. “Well?”

Percy leaned into Jason. He whispered, “Can we kidnap this one?”

Jason jabbed him in the side with his elbow, then followed the strange girl down the path. The gentle footsteps behind him told him that the others were following along, though he didn’t dare look back and take his eyes off the girl.

In the end, their destination was a dark, ashy cave, one covered ceiling to floor with paintings, writings, and strange symbols. Inside was a small bedroll, a fire with a pot simmering over it, and more books than Jason could count. It looked like paradise for Annabeth.

The girl sat down next to a stack of books, folding her legs and gesturing to the space around her. “Welcome to my abode.”

Jason carefully stepped forward, scanning the room for anything unusual. “Seems cozy.”

Shrugging, the girl stirred at her pot with a wooden spoon. “It’s comfortable enough for my purposes.”

Percy looked up from a leather bound tome he had picked up. “And those purposes are?”

The sage set the spoon down, looking up at them with a new, earnest expression. “Prophecy.”

Bianca set down a thick green book, her dark eyes glittering in the fire light. “You’re a prophet?”

“I prefer the term oracle,” the girl said. “But yes, I’m gifted with the power of prophecy, unfortunately.”

“How is that unfortunate? That seems like the coolest power ever!” Percy exclaimed, losing interest in the plethora of books entirely. He got closer to the girl. “Can you tell me my future?”

Laughing, the sage shook her head. “No, I can’t do it on command. You’ll have to find an Earth Kingdom fortune teller for that. I have to wait for it to just...happen.”

Annabeth tore her eyes away from what looked like a history book. “How frequently does it happen?”

“Woah, is this an interrogation?” The girl laughed. “Come, sit down, eat with me. You’re my guests now.”

Hesitantly, Jason sat down by the fire. The sage met his eyes, and he felt like his sleeves had caught fire.

“I didn’t get to introduce myself,” she stated, keeping her gaze level with his for a few moments more before looking around the circle at the people slowly sitting down. “I’m Rachel. Rachel Elizabeth Dare.”

Percy crooked an eyebrow. “You have three names? What are you, rich or something?”

Rachel Elizabeth Dare snorted. “Yes. That’s totally why I live in a cave on a tiny island.”

Percy blushed at this, earning a giddy laugh from Rachel.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “So, why are you not turning us in?”

Rachel’s eyes flickered darky for a second. “As an oracle, my loyalties lie to the harmony of this world, not just the nation I hail from. I hate what the Fire Nation has done to the world, the damage they’ve caused to the spirits. I can feel it every waking moment. I want to help restore balance.”

Looking up at Jason again, Rachel’s expression turned hopeful. “That’s what you’re here to do, right?”

Jason wanted to scoff. He held himself together, reminding himself that this girl was their only hope of getting into that temple. “Yes, actually. That’s why we need your help.”

Rachel’s mischievous look returned to her face. “I’m all ears.”

As they ate some sort of stew Rachel had prepared, Jason explained how he’d felt led to this island by his past lives, how he’d only been able to unlock the Avatar state once, and that he needed a fire sage’s help to get into the temple and learn more about his abilities. As he spoke, Rachel nodded attentively, occasionally letting out a small ‘mhm’. Percy watched them both with a strange look on his face, like he desperately needed to use the restroom but was afraid to ask.

“Well, you’re in luck,” Rachel finally said. “I’m not just an oracle. I’m a firebending _master._ ”

“Really? At your age?” Percy asked her, his face finally relaxing. “I mean, you can’t be any older than us.”

“Seventeen. And a half. I mastered firebending when I was thirteen,” she elaborated as she dampened the fire. “Of course, I’m a little rusty. Being an oracle has taken up a lot of my practice time, along with regular fire sage duties. If I’m not on top of my game out there, don’t yell at me, please.”

Percy smiled at her, his first moment of tenderness since they’d gone into the cave. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jason frowned, though he wasn’t sure why. He should have been glad that Percy and Rachel were getting along. He already trusted Rachel, probably more than he should, since that was how their group rolled. Blindly trusting every friendly stranger with a wacky backstory had worked like a charm so far. Still, Jason felt something strange bubbling up in his gut. He blamed it on the stew Rachel had fed them and decided to ignore it until it went away.

Annabeth pushed up aside him, murmuring, “You see it too, right?”

Jason frowned at her. “See what?”

Annabeth shook her head, muttering, “Never mind,” before she stalked off, speeding up to walk next to Bianca.

Jason was only more confused. He struggled to understand the team dynamic. Every time he thought he had it figured out, it switched up again. Percy was friends with him and Grover, and Grover was friends with everybody. Annabeth was friends with no one, though she seemed to trust Jason’s judgement more than anyone’s at least. Bianca has latched onto Percy for some reason, making Annabeth hate her for reasons Jason couldn’t begin to understand.

And then there was Jason himself. He liked everyone on the team, thought Bianca’s blind trust in Percy did annoy him sometimes. He wanted to be respected as a leader, and so far, the only person to really challenge that position was Percy. He would be the first to admit that sometimes, Jason really did rely on Percy’s judgement. He was willing to jump into danger when Jason wanted to hold back, and in some cases, that was exactly what they needed. Other times, however, it just got them into more trouble, and Jason couldn’t let that happen. As complicated as things were, he genuinely cared for everyone on the team, and seeing them hurt would absolutely kill him. He resolved himself into talking to Percy later, man-to-man, about all of that.

“We’re here!” Rachel’s voice drew Jason away from his train of thought. He looked up to see a massive door, though not the largest around the temple by any means. Rachel stepped forward and, with one flick of the wrist, sent a jet of flames toward the door. It swung open with a load creak, making Jason grit his teeth.

“Hurry up!” Rachel shouted as she darted inside. Percy ran after her, followed by Annabeth and Bianca, then finally Jason. Scanning around him, he sent a blast of air to shut the door again. Miraculously, it swung shut, closing them inside.

Rachel clapped him on the back. “Nice work! Now hurry, we don’t have long.”

The temple might as well have been a maze. There were endless corridors, stairwells, and hidden doorways to go through. Rachel was dashing through them like she’d done it a thousand times, which was entirely possible. They were careful to dodge patrols, even hiding sometimes while the other fire sage’s passed. After a close call, Rachel let out a deep sigh.

“I’m _so_ getting fired for this.”

This earned a laugh from Percy, and a strange look from both Annabeth and Bianca. Jason didn’t have the energy to decipher what that meant.

“So, right through here is the statue of the past Avatar.” Rachel explained, gesturing to the largest door they’d seen yet. It has five round keyholes. Before Jason could ask how to unlock it, Rachel gave him a grim look. “It takes five fire sages to open it.”

Percy’s expression turned cold. He backed away from Rachel, giddiness disappearing. “What? How are we supposed to open it, then?”

“Keep your voice down!” Annabeth scolded. She then flashed a dark glare at Rachel. “We only have two firebenders, in case you hadn’t noticed. And one of them might not be able to even use his powers.”

Rachel held her hands out in defense. “Guys, calm down! I told you I have a plan! The fire sages patrol this corridor every hour. They should be here any minute. If it looks like there’s someone inside there, they’ll open the doors to investigate.”

Percy frowned. “But how do we make it look like that? It’s not like someone can just sneak in there.

Annabeth’s eyes lit up. “Blackjack!”

At the sound of his name, the lemur appeared from within Percy’s satchel. He crawled up onto Percy’s shoulder, purring as he pressed into the side of his head.

“Hey, buddy!” Percy said, scratching the Blackjack’s ears with a smile. “Have you been in there the whole time?”

Annabeth looked between Rachel and Percy. “If we get Blackjack in there, his shadow will look like a person’s. They’ll think the Avatar is inside and open the doors!”

Rachel grinned. “That’s perfect! All I need to do is…”

She turned from them and threw a blast of fire at each keyhole. Black scorch marks appeared around the sides. She turned to them and whisper-shouted, “Hide!”

At the cure, Blackjack leapt off of Percy’s shoulder, sliding in through the keyhole with ease. He was a smart little creature, Jason had to give him that. He heard footsteps growing closer, then Rachel’s desperate voice.

“Help, the Avatar broke through! We need to stop him before he awakens the Avatar state!”

One of the fire sages barked, “How did this happen?”

Rachel’s voice broke. “He was just too powerful. I couldn’t...I couldn’t…”

“Shh,” a female voice said. “It’s okay, I’m sure you did your best. Just help us open the door, okay?”

Rachel sniffled. “Of course.”

The sound of five identical jets of fire billowed in Jason’s ears. He heard Rachel shout, “Now!” But he was already in the room. The doors swung shut behind him, and all he heard was the muffled sound of shouting.

Jason slowly became aware of the gigantic stature before him. It was a warrior, a proud fire bender, standing tall above him. Jason struggled to come up with his name, but eventually it landed on his tongue.

_Achilles._

As if on cue, the eyes of the statue lit up. Jason felt a rush of wind around him, closing in until ass he could see was light. He closed his eyes and let himself fall backwards, endlessly, until he landed on something firm.

“Welcome, Jason Grace,” Achilles said. He was smiling, but there was sadness in his eyes. He looked older, with his hair and beard flecked with grey patches, but Jason had a feeling it wasn’t from old age, but from the stresses he went through during his time as the Avatar.

“Achilles?” Jason sat up on what he now recognized as a dragon. "How is this possible?”

“We’re in the past now,” Achilles told him. “Almost anything is possible.”

They broke through the clouds, swooping down over a large field. On it, soldiers were lining up on either side, falling into perfect formation. He heard the distant cries as they got closer.

“This is the first war, isn’t it?” Jason breathed. “The one the Fire Nation lost?”

“Yes, Jason,” Achilles said, sadly. “This is where it all started.”

They settled near a tent, where a younger Achilles was speaking with another man with curly hair and a lighthearted smile, despite the carnage around them. Achilles pressed his hand onto the other man’s shoulder, then guided him inside the tent.

“Who was that?” Jason asked.

“That was Patroclus,” Achilles told him, tears glistening in his eyes. “The love of my life.”

The vision faded, shifting into night. Achilles was inside the same tent, now alone. He wailed, his cries reaching the heavens.

“The Earth Kingdom took my love away from me,” he explained, bitterness on his tongue. “So I wanted revenge.”

The scene shifted to an open field, where Achilles raged forward, slaying everyone in his path. Jason wanted to look away, but couldn’t. He needed to see this. He _needed_ to understand.

“Ten years, I had fought,” Achilles continued, watching the carnage with a dark gleam in his eyes. “But as soon as my Patroclus died, my world folded in on itself. Maybe I was too careless, or maybe I deserved it. Either way, the Earth Kingdom got its revenge, too.”

Jason watched in horror as a tall Earth Kingdom soldier struck Achilles down. The light within him erupted from every pore, then died out. In the distance, he heard a baby crying.

Achilles turned to Jason. “I died at the end of one war. You were born at the start of another. Violence has always been your destiny, Jason Grace.”

Jason frowned at him. “But isn’t the Avatar supposed to bring balance to the world? What were you doing, fighting other nations?”

“There have been many Avatars, and many wars. Do you really think I was the first to get involved, to pick a side?” Achilles gave him a sideways grin, which made Jason shiver among the ongoing violence around them. “Far from it. I didn’t choose to start the war, but when the Fire Nation called for my assistance, I couldn’t let them down.”

Jason wanted to scream. “But what about now? You can’t possibly support what the Fire Nation has done to the world? What they’ve done to my people?”

“I don’t,” Achilles assured him, but Jason didn’t feel any better. “Jason, I was wrong to help with the war. I should have stopped it. Now, it is your duty to fix my mistakes. You must restore balance to the world. And please, for my sake, don’t forget that your duty is to the world, not just your loved ones.”

Jason thought back to what he’d seen, how ruthless Achilles had been. It had taken Patroclus’s death to push him to that point. Would Jason ever do the same? Could the deaths of anyone on his team push him that far?

_Would Thalia’s death push him that far?_

Jason didn’t want to think about it. His head was already spinning from all that Achilles had shown him. The world was already fading around him, and he felt himself falling endlessly again, until he hit the floor of the temple with a loud _thud._

Behind him, the doors burst open. A tall figure came closer to him, his massive boots clacking on the ground with each step.

The figure looked him up and down before a smooth, deep voice said, “So, this is our little Avatar, huh?”

Jason desperately grabbed at his robes for any sort of weapon, anything he could use against the man. Behind him, he could faintly make out his friend struggling against the tall pillars, likely bound there by the fire sages. Soldiers closed in around him as Jason started to panic.

The large man lifted his sword. “How rude of me, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m General Kronos, and you’re about to be my greatest spoil of war yet.”

He lifted his sword slowly, then, just as he was about to bring it down, he heard a loud _thwack._ A hair comb clattered to the floor, followed by General Kronos himself, who crumpled to the ground uselessly.

Rachel rushed forward, grabbing Jason’s arm and pulling him up. All Jason could see in his stupor was a flash of red hair.

“Come on, we have to go!”

Jason leapt to his feet, following her as she rushed to the pillar and sliced the ropes open with Percy’s sword. Watching her, Jason couldn’t help but replay what had happened moments before on repeat in his mind.

“You knocked him out with a hair comb?”

Rachel flashing him a grin as she pulled the ropes away from their friends. “Let’s not dwell on it. Come on, hurry!”

Jason obliged, following her through the halls down the same way they’d come from, they dodged the fire sages that were now swarming through the temples, running until Jason’s legs buried and his lungs were about to give way.

“Rachel!” Percy cried. In front of them, a pillar was shaking, about to come loose. It toppled over, right in Rachel’s way, but Percy lunged forward and pulled her away from danger. They shared a look and a few heaving breaths before continuing forward.

Somehow, they made it through to the same door they’d entered through. Rachel blasted it open with a stream of fire, revealing Grover and Tempest waiting there for them.

“Figured you guys would need a lift,” Grover huffed from his place on Tempest’s neck. Tempest blew steam through his nose as if agreeing.

Jason let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Thanks, Grover.”

Grover nodded. “Don’t mention it. Now, get on!”

Bianca was the first to board Tempest, followed by Annabeth. Jason stood to the side and watched Percy extend a hand to Rachel.

“Come with us,” he urged her, panic rising in his voice.

Rachel shook her head, smiling sadly. “I’ll be fine here. Just promise you’ll come break me out after the war, okay?”

Percy stomped his foot. “But why? Why do you want to stay? You could come with us, and teach Jason firebending, and be safe! Why don’t you want that?”

Rachel took his hand, closing both of hers around his. Percy blushed in response.

“My people need me,” Rachel softly told him. “Now more than ever. You understand that, don’t you?”

Tears were already streaming from Percy’s eyes. Shakily, he nodded. Rachel leaned forward and, to everyone’s surprise, pressed a kiss to Percy’s cheek.

Leaning back, the smirk returned to her face. “That was for saving me.”

Percy blushed even harder. Rachel just smiled and dropped his hand.

“Thank you all,” Rachel said, addressing the entire group. “Because of you, I have hope again.”

Suddenly, her skin flushed, turning a sickly green. Percy rushed forward, but she gestured for him to stop. He and Jason stood there, helplessly, as Rachel’s eyes began to glow. She hovered in the air, as if she were airbending, and a strange smoke swirled around her. Her jaw fell open ,and she began to speak,

_“Seven young souls shall answer the call,_

_To storm or fire, the world must fall,_

_An oath to keep with a final breath,_

_And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.”_

With that, she collapsed onto the ground. Percy reached out to grab her, but Jason pulled him back. Fire sages were quickly approaching, and they needed to get out of there, _fast._ Jason pulled a sobbing Percy onto Tempest, and they took off, leaving the dark island behind them.

The mood was grim after their encounter with Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Bianca leaned her head on Annabeth’s shoulder, both of them bearing gloomy expressions. Grover, who had only caught the tail end of their conversation, seemed confused at first, but after a quick recount of the day’s events, even he was sulking.

Percy was taking it the worst by far. He was sobbing into his sleeve, not even bothering to hide his misery. Jason tried to comfort him, but nothing was seeming to work. Even Blackjack's purrs couldn't soothe the guy.

Eventually, the waterbender looked up. “Do you think if I had said something different, she would have stayed?”

Jason leaned back against the saddle, closing his eyes. “No. Some people are set in their ways, Percy. Not everyone will uproot their lives to come with us.”

Percy’s eyes, now red from crying, met Jason’s. “Like Thalia, huh?”

Jason felt a burning sensation in his chest, one that definitely wasn’t from Rachel’s stew. “Yeah, like Thalia. Rachel has responsibilities to her people, just like Thalia. Just like all of us.”

Percy gave him a long look. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Jason told him, sitting up a bit. “What is it?”

“What are you doing for your people?” Percy’s question through Jason for a loop. The waterbender was looking at him, his face more serious than he’d ever seen before. “Do you want to avenge them?”

Jason thought back to the visions of senseless war, the cruelty of Achilles on the battlefield. It was enough to make his head swim. Then, his thoughts were dragged back to the Southern Air Temple, all those empty rooms and stolen lives. He looked at the sky in front of him, how the reds and oranges blended together in perfect chaos.

“The Air Nomads were a peaceful people. All they wanted was balance,” Jason explained, watching a cloud drift by aimlessly. “They wouldn’t wish harm on anyone, and they rarely had enemies.”

Leaning forward a bit, Jason looked at Percy again. The waterbender was watching him carefully. “Revenge isn’t really their style,” he continued. “Neither is violence. What they would want for me is to restore balance to the world.”

Percy snorted. “And how are we going to do that?”

Jason stood up, heading over to Tempest’s neck to take the reins from Grover. “I don’t know yet,” he called over his shoulder, “but I have to do it.”

Sitting down in Grover’s place, Jason yanked the reins and shouted, “Tempest, _yip yip_!”

Tempest dove forward, closer to a small, rocky island with no signs of life. He guided his bison along the edge of the water, feeling the brine splash against his face and cool him down. Here, they could make camp for the night. Jason only hoped this island was free of ancient temples and red head prophets.

That brought Jason back to one of the most pressing topics on his mind. The prophecy. For hours Jason has tried to understand it, but nothing was clicking for him. Seven young souls? Wasn’t the five of them enough? And an oath to keep with a final breath? It sounded far too serious, and Jason wasn’t ready to consider the implications of what Rachel had told him.

Still, as he settled in that night, all Jason could do was replay her words endlessly. He wasn’t sure what it would mean for his friends, but all he was sure of was that it could only cause trouble. Thankfully, they were somewhat prepared for trouble. He was pretty sure that trouble was Percy’s middle name.

Jason’s mind also lingered on his conversation with Percy. What he’d said to him had been eerily close to what Achilles had talked about. Jason refused to believe that he could ever reach the point Achilles had. Still, something about that darkness had seemed familiar. Maybe it was because Jason had carried that same darkness deep within him ever since he was born. All he could do was hope that it would never come to light, and that balance would triumph in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have Rachel! I'm sorry she couldn't stick around longer, but don't worry, she'll reappear! I love her too much for this to be her only scene.
> 
> As always, comments are appreciated! Thank you so much for reading!


	5. Grover is in the Right Place at the Right Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops! It's been a while, folk! I'm so sorry, I've been so busy with commissions and work that this fic completely slipped my mind. Thankfully, I got a minute to finish up this chapter today, so here you go! I hope you enjoy!

_  
_ “Hey, Bianca, watch this!”

Grover smiled as he watched Percy doing his waterbending tricks. He was currently moving little animal figures around like some sort of watery puppet show. Bianca seemed amused, sitting in the corner with her arms pulled tightly around her legs. The girl looked much younger without her makeup; Grover found it hard to believe that she was sixteen years old. Annabeth was frowning from her own corner, though her expression was otherwise unreadable.

Grover was just happy to see that Percy was perking up at last. He had sulked for days after losing Rachel Elizabeth Dare. He had only known the girl for a day, and yet he acted like his entire world was taken from him. Grover supposed it was his young age, as well as the direness of their situation. He didn’t have the heart to ask Percy if that had been his first kiss.

Percy sent a water sky bison towards Grover with a flick of his wrist, splashing him with a few droplets as he made it move through the air. Grover shook his head indignantly, but he had to admit that the display was pretty cool.

Even after months with the Southern Water Tribe, Grover was still in awe of Percy’s abilities. It had taken a while for them to tell him that they had their own waterbender there, and knowing what had happened to all of the others, that was reasonable enough. Grover wasn’t insulted by the initial lack of trust, and once they’d conquered that hurdle, he and Percy had become fast friends.

It was strange, Grover thought, that his best friend was a seventeen year old kid from the other end of the world. As a child, he’d been told stories of the waterbenders and their might. After the Fire Nation attacked twice and the Air Nomads were wiped out, his gut told him that some day, he’d find the new Avatar in the Southern Water Tribe. Now, watching Percy weave his water effortlessly, Grover thought that he would have made a fine Avatar, had things been different.

Still, things were very,  _ very  _ different from what Grover had anticipated in his search for the Avatar. He had joined the military at a young age for this very purpose, and here he was, watching over not only the Avatar, but one of the last airbenders in the world. Jason sat at the reigns of Tempest, his jaw set and expression hardened with focus. It was hard to believe that the kid was only fifteen years old. It was like those years in the iceberg had aged him beyond his years, or maybe it was what he had gone through before that.

Grover sighed, hauling himself to his feet and steadying himself with his canes. He walked over to where Annabeth was sitting, claiming the spot beside her in spite of her inquisitive look at him. He then smiled at her.

“Rough day?”

Annabeth let out a sigh. “More like a rough week.”

Grover noted how the scholar didn’t elaborate. He pressed further. “How’s that?”

Annabeth shot him a look, then seemed to soften. “You weren’t in the temple, right. Has anyone told you what happened?”

Shaking his head, Grover said, “I’m still in the dark on that.”

Annabeth sat back, starting to recount the previous day's events in remarkable detail. It felt like Grover was actually there, darting through temple halls and dodging fire sages, even watching Kronos get knocked out by a simple hair comb. He wanted to laugh at that part, but noted the strange look in Annabeth’s eyes when she got there.

Grover tried to study her, but reading Annabeth was like reading the old waterbender scrolls in his host’s tent back in the Southern Water Tribe: practically impossible. Grover sat back a little, needlessly asking, “Wow, Rachel really did that?”

It was like a switch flipped inside Annabeth. Her lip quivered ever so slightly, and her eyes were blinking quickly like she was trying to hide tears. She wiped them on her sleeve in one swift, calculated motion.

“Yeah,” she said, voice cracking. “She did.”

Grover, in what was likely a move that would get him killed, reached out and rested a hand on Annabeth’s shoulder. She jerked in response, then softened into his touch. She offered him a weak smile.

“You don’t have to do that,” she murmured.

“I know,” Grover said, voice low and reassuring. “I wanted to.”

They slipped into a comfortable silence after that. Grover was glad to see that a smile now replaced Annabeth’s permanent guarded scowl. They sat for a while, until something seemed to catch Annabeth’s sharp grey eyes. She sat up, peering over the edge of the saddle.

“Hey, what’s that?”

She pointed at a spot below them, off the right side of Tempest. In the water was a nasty looking Fire Nation ship, one that was cruising at a slow pace toward them.

At the sight, Grover stiffened. He scanned the ship for weapons, but didn’t see any that were armed. Percy appeared beside him, peering down at the ship with a dangerous glint in his eyes. He looked like he was ready to topple the ship with a tidal wave.

“Hold on a second,” Jason said, lowering the reins and sliding onto the saddle. “That doesn’t look like any Fire Nation ship. That’s gotta be…”

“A decommissioned ship?” Annabeth offered.

Jason shook his head, mouth crooking in a smile. “Not just any decommissioned ship. If I’m not mistaken, one of Thalia’s friends. He and his freedom fighters sail around in a ship they conquered and help fight the Fire Nation whenever they can.”

“But if you  _ are  _ mistaken,” Percy started, frowning deeply. Grover felt a pang of sympathy for him. “...then we’re in a lot of trouble.”

“I’ll take full responsibility if that’s the case,” Jason assured him, returning to his place on Tempest’s neck and steering them closer to the ship. “But don’t worry. Thalia promised me this guy is safe. He’ll help us out.”

Grover wasn’t so sure about that, but he didn’t object. Him and Percy exchanged a long look, then he shrugged, sitting down in defeat. Neither of them had heard anything about Thalia’s mysterious friend before this. In fact, they knew very little of what Jason and Thalia had done in their days together, aside from the obvious training. The makeshift ceremony they’d had once Jason mastered airbending had proven how much his skills had grown under Thalia’s guidance. Grover was hesitant to follow Thalia’s judgement. He trusted the Avatar, and the members of their team, but everyone else had to earn Grover’s trust. He’d been betrayed far too many times to blindly put his faith in anyone.

Jason guided Tempest down close to the water, right next to the ship. A few heads popped out of a doorway, all standing guard, but one tall figure stepped in front of all of them, holding his arms out.

“The Avatar, I presume?” The man called to them. He was tall and lean, donning armor from head to toe that made him appear much larger than he actually was. His hair was a shock of blonde, like Jason’s, and his eyes were a similar shade of electric blue. What was most prominent about this man, however, was the long scar from the tip of his eye down to his lip. The scar glared at Grover, and he felt a shiver run down his spine.

Jason used a puff of air to guide him onto the ship. He seemed unfazed by this stranger’s appearance. “The one and only.”

The man crooked an eyebrow at him. “You know, the only other airbender I know has eyes just like yours.”

Smiling, Jason extended a hand. “Jason Grace, sister of Thalia.”

The man took Jason’s hand in his own, giving it a firm shake. “Luke Castellan.”

Luke then looked at each of them where they were standing on Tempest’s back. “Welcome aboard the Princess Andromeda.”

The other crewmates helped to unload their supplies off of Tempest, showing them to their rooms. Along the way, Luke apologized for the small quarters.

“We’re a bit stretched for room,” he explained. “Got lots of new recruits joining us.”

“And what exactly is... _ this?”  _ Bianca asked with a wide gesture. Her eyes were guarded, like she’d been in this exact position before.

Luke gave her a grin. “My freedom fighters, of course. Lots of people want to help fight the Fire Nation, but don’t want to play by the Earth Kingdom’s rules. That’s where I come in. I train them, house them, feed them, and they go on missions for me.”

Annabeth frowned. “What kind of missions?"

“Oh, you know. Destroying ships, raiding towns, anything the Earth Kingdom isn’t willing to do.” Luke said it so casually, as if he were describing a fishing trip. Grover felt concern bubbling in his chest. He exchanged a wary look with Annabeth as they kept walking.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” a deep voice piped up from behind them. They turned to see a boy, no older than Percy, who was carrying Annabeth’s bedroll. He had grease stains on his face, like he’d been working on the engines of the ship.

Annabeth scoffed. “How so?”

The boy didn’t seem fazed. He kept walking his eyes on Luke’s back like he was the entire world. “We help people too. We free prisoners from ships, help people escape villages under Fire Nation occupation, and give people a home when they have nowhere to go.”

“He’s right,” another voice said. This one was high and sweet, like a fruit in springtime. It belonged to a young girl with silky black hair who was carrying Bianca’s bags. “We do actually help people. It’s not all about destruction.”

“They’re right, you know,” Luke said with a warm voice. He smiled at them over his shoulder. “Guests, this is Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beaurguard.”

The pair both smiled at them. Grover didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy like they probably expected him too. Percy at least seemed charmed, already chatting away with the new people. Even Annabeth, to Grover’s complete surprise, was listening to Luke’s words intently as he prattled on about some past exploit. Jason hung back, walking alongside Grover.

“You trust them?” he asked under his breath.

Grover shook his head. “Not one bit.”

He watched Annabeth for a moment, noticing how her stormy eyes were practically glowing at Luke’s words. Maybe what had happened with Rachel had changed something within her. Or maybe this Luke guy was better at fooling people than Grover had expected. Still, he’d seen people like him in his years of service, and one thing they’d always had in common was that they were nothing but trouble.

Dinner was an uncomfortable affair. They all sat on small cushions on the floor and dined on stew (which Grover was seriously getting sick of) while Luke went on and on about the good his group was doing for the world.

“So, how did you get your hands on this ship?” Percy asked through a mouthful of some sort of mystery meat. He was sitting beside Annabeth, who had hardly spoken a word since Luke had started talking. Grover crooked an eyebrow at them, but neither seemed to notice.

Luke sat back, kicking his legs out in front of them and crossing them haphazardly. “Won it in a pai sho game.”

“You play pai sho?” Bianca asked. She seemed far less starstruck, but still hung onto every word Luke said.

“Occasionally?” Luke said to her. “You?”

Bianca fiddled with the hem of her shirt. She didn’t meet his eyes. “I did, a long time ago.”

Luke didn’t seem phased by her sudden change in demeanor. He leaned forward, setting his bowl down before leaning back again. “Maybe we can play a round later.”

“So, Luke, where are you from? The Earth Kingdom?” Annabeth said, changing the subject entirely. She’d probably track down Bianca and interrogate her later. Grover shuddered at the thought of an Annabeth interrogation.

Luke’s swagger faltered. His eyes grew dark for a moment. “Ba Sing Se.”

“Really?” Annabeth brightened at the mention of the Earth Kingdom capital. “That’s where I’m from!”

“Is it now?” Luke’s expression returned to normal. He looks over at Annabeth, flashing her a smile. “Guess we’re all connected in different ways, huh?”

Annabeth blushed. So did Percy, which completely vexed Grover. He wanted to smack some sense into his young friend, but knew he needed to be polite for the moment. Him and Jason exchanged a look, and he held in a laugh as the Avatar subtly rolled his eyes.

After that, they cleaned up their dinner and started heading to their chambers. Luke was gracious enough to offer them a large room, one where they wouldn’t be separate. Grover had decided the moment he stepped on that ship that he wasn’t taking his eyes off of any of his teammates, no matter how warm their welcome was. Jason and Percy threw a wrench in his plan the minute they left to spar with some of Luke’s men.

“We’ll be careful,” Jason assured him as they disappeared through the door. “Promise.”

Grover just huffed in response, then turned to the two girls as they worked to set up their sleeping bags in neat rows. They worked in silence for a while, but it wasn’t long before Annabeth was pressing at Bianca over her odd attitude earlier. She received a cold glare in reply.

“Annabeth, I swear I’m okay,” she said for what was probably the tenth time. “Don’t worry about it.”

Annabeth looked over at Grover, who could only shrug at her. He walked over to get closer, then sat down on his own bedroll next to Bianca. “I heard when he mentioned pai sho. I used to play that game with my grandfather when I was younger.”

Bianca looked up at him, eyebrows arching at his words. “It’s...a very popular game. Back home, I mean.”

“Yeah, back home in the Earth Kingdom,” Grover finished for her. “I also know that there’s all these different ways to play. There’s street pai sho, traditional pai sho, simplified pai sho, and tons of variations on that. I’m sure every village has its own set of rules. And it can be slow and methodical, or it can be fast-paced.”

Bianca was starting to shift uncomfortably, but Grover kept pushing. “You used to play slowly, right? The way the nobles do?”

By that point, Annabeth was nodding along, looking slightly like she was cursing herself internally for not realizing sooner. “You’re afraid Luke will know who you really are? Who your family is?”

Bianca crossed her arms. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“But we’re a team!” Grover protested. “We need to be in sync! That means knowing about each others’ weakness, or anything that could put us at risk.”

“He’s right,” Annabeth added, crouching down beside them. She reached a hand out and wrapped it around Bianca’s shoulders, a rare moment of physical affection Grover had never seen from the girl. Bianca seemed to relax into her touch.

“I just don’t like to talk about my family is all,” Bianca finally said. “You never know who is listening. I’m a wanted criminal after all. If they find out about me, my family could get hurt.”

Grover nodded. He understood where she was coming from, he really did. It would kill him if his own actions led to his family getting hurt. Annabeth seemed less understanding however, when she separated herself from Bianca with a sigh.

“Luke isn’t going to turn you in, and he definitely won’t do anything to harm your family,” Annabeth said, her voice scathing. “He’s shown us nothing but kindness so far, so why would you even have to worry about that?”

Grover wanted to protest, but before he could, Bianca perked up a little.

“You’re right, Annabeth,” she said softly. “I was just overthinking is all.”

Annabeth gave her a pat on the back, then stood up. “We don’t need to tell Luke who you are, if it makes you feel better. I doubt you want to be known around here as the famous di Angelo heiress, after all.”

Bianca brightened even more at this. “Thank you, Annabeth.”

“Don’t mention it.” With that, Annabeth headed for the door. “I’m going to go sketch. This ship may have been built with evil intentions, but it is incredibly well made. Plus, who knows the next time we’ll be this close to a Fire Nation ship?”

Grover did his absolute best to not take that as a bad omen. He knocked on the wooden floor three times just to ease his worried mind. He stayed back with Bianca, then turned to her after the scholar had slipped away.

“You’re not just worried about your family, are you?” He asked her. “It’s also your bending, isn’t it?”

Bianca’s shoulders slumped forward. “It’s suffocating, being at sea. It reminds me of the rig.”

Grover couldn’t even imagine what it was like. He’d seen his fair share of comrades taken away to that place. Grown men went weak in the knees at the thought of one of the Fire Nation’s prisons. For a girl as young as Bianca to weather it, it was unimaginable.

“You won’t go back there,” a voice piped up from the doorway. Grover looks over his shoulder to see Percy there, standing in his oversized armor and toting his sword. “I promise. Also, Luke wants to see us.”

Bianca gave him a wide smile. She liked Percy, Grover had noticed, and seemed to trust him more than anyone. A promise from Percy would be dangerous in her hands, and Grover was suddenly full of dread.

“You hear me, buddy?” Percy’s hand was extended in front of Grover. He shook himself and offered Percy a weak smile.

“Yeah, let’s head over,” he said, grabbing his canes and slowly rising. His bones ached from their days of travel, and he found himself longing more and more for the tranquility of the South Pole, though he’d never say it out loud. The sparkle in Percy’s eyes every time they set out on another adventure was enough to keep his yearning at bay. 

Jason popped his head into the doorway. “You guys coming?”

Grover padded over to him, canes thudding against the wooden floor. Everything on the ship was wooden or metal, he had noticed. He absently wondered if it had been used to transport Earth Kingdom prisoners in the past, a thought that made him recoil. He’d spent years actively avoiding this exact situation, and he knew that Bianca had too. A quick glance told him that though she was putting out a cheery front, she too was uneasy. He looked at Jason, who was wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. 

“What does Luke want us for?” Grover asked. He couldn’t imagine what it could be; maybe just a gesture of goodwill, or more questions about their travels. Either way, Grover was reluctant to share more sensitive information with a near stranger.

Jason shrugged. “He didn’t say. Only told us to meet him in his quarters.”

The Avatar didn’t seem fazed by the request. He has his sword put away, sheathed on his hip, and he had already shed his armor. Grover nodded at him and followed him down the hallway towards the captain’s quarters, their friends trailing behind them with soft footsteps and minimal chatter.

Once they reached the elegant doorway, Jason knocked lightly. The doors swung open, revealing a pleasant looking Luke and a sulky young man with dark hair.

“Glad you could make it,” Luke greeted. He gestured to the man beside him. This is Ethan Nakamura, my second in command.”

“Nice to meet you, Ethan,” Jason said, smiling. Ethan only glared in response, then looked around at each of them. Grover shivered when the boy’s eyes landed on him.

Luke gestured for them to have a seat in the assembly of chairs in front of the. They all took their respective seats and watched as Luke sat down behind a desk, lazily kicking his legs up onto its surface. “I didn’t call you down here just to chat. I want to know what your plans are for the future, and how we can assist you.”

Jason was the first to respond. “We’re heading to the Northern Water Tribe. Percy and I need to learn waterbending from a real master.”

Luke let out a low whistle. “You’ve got quite the journey there. Lucky for you, we’re headed in that exact direction.”

“You’re also going to the North Pole?” Annabeth asked. “Why are you heading that way?”

Luke shrugged. “We just follow the coast. If we notice a village is in trouble, we stop there. We’ve been heading north for several days now.”

“Have you been to the Northern Water Tribe before?” Percy couldn’t mask the excitement in his voice.

“No, we’ve never gone that far north,” Luke told him. “The Northern Water Tribe rarely has issues, and they don’t really welcome visitors. We have little business there.”

“But you’ll take us that far?” Jason said with the crook of an eyebrow.

Luke grinned at him. “Only if you promise to help us out in exchange.”

The mood in the room quickly dropped. It was as if the candles grew slightly dimmer, all at once.

“Help you out?” Bianca said. She was staring down at the floorboards, avoiding Luke’s electric blue gaze. “With your raids, you mean?”

Luke uncrossed his legs, returning them to the floor and leaning forward in his chair. “I wouldn’t call them raids, no. You’re from the Earth Kingdom, aren’t you? Don’t you want to help your people?”

Bianca had no response to that. Grover didn’t either. He wanted to say, ‘ _ Not in the way you do it,’  _ but the words died in his throat. Jason, however, stood up with a flourish.

“I think we need to discuss your offer among us, if you don’t mind,” he said, looking straight at Luke. “We’ll have your answer by the morning.”

Luke seemed satisfied with this. He too rose, going in to shake Jason’s hand. “Think about it. I mean it.”

Jason nodded, then dropped his hand. He then looked at his teammates. “Let’s go back to our room and talk about this.”

The others nodded, rising from their seats one by one and exiting in silence. When he stood, Grover noticed the Ethan guy giving him a strange look. As he was walking out the door, he stopped him. Grover took a nervous gulp.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” Ethan said softly. He reached out to shake Grover’s hand, which he reluctantly took in his own. However, when their hands parted Grover felt something odd in his palm. He clutched it tight to his side as they left, only unfolding his fingers once the others were out of sight. 

In his hands were a small piece of paper, one with messy handwriting scribbled on it. It read, ‘Captain’s quarters after lights out. Come alone.’.

Grover’s brow furrowed. What was happening at the captain’s quarters? And why couldn’t the others come? His mind was swirling with possibilities. He crumpled the paper up and shoved it into his pocket before rejoining his friends.

When they got back to their room, Annabeth was the first to object.

“It’s a bad idea, Percy. Tempest is faster, and we barely know who this guy is!”

“But think of the people we could help!” Percy gave Jason a pleading look. “Isn’t that what being the Avatar is about?”

“It’s about restoring balance, Percy,” Jason told him. “And to do that, we need to master waterbending first. We can’t get distracted with small fights when the main battle is waiting for us.”

Bianca folded her arms, stomping her foot. “My people are being thrown into jails every day and you’re telling us to do nothing about it? That used to be me! We need to help them!”

She turned to Grover desperately. “You’re Earth Kingdom too! Don’t you agree?”

Grover shifted uneasily. He knew that the vote would come down to him. Sure, helping the Earth Kingdom seemed nice, but he still didn’t trust this Luke guy in the slightest, and wasting precious time to follow him and his merry band of misfits across the kingdom sounded like trouble waiting to happen. “I-”

“I need some air,” Jason suddenly grumbled. “See you guys in a bit.”

“But it’s almost lights out!” Percy argued. “We need to talk about this  _ now!” _

“I’ll be back in five.” Jason said over his shoulder.

Grover frowned. The paper in his pocket felt like it was burning a hole. Quietly, he stepped out, muttering something about needing air too. He closed the door behind him, trying to muffle the screaming match between Percy and Annabeth that had started in his leave.

Quietly, Grover began to creep towards the captain’s quarters. There was always the chance that this was a trap. He eyed each doorway with suspicion, as if Ethan or Luke were waiting to jump him from any one of them. When he finally found himself back in front of that massive doorway, he pressed his ear to the crack. Muffled voices filtered in, and he tried to make them out.

“Everyone is in their quarters, captain,” he heard Ethan say.

“Good,” Luke’s voice said. His tone was cold and serious, far different from the easygoing attitude he’d had earlier. “Is everyone here?”

“Charles isn’t feeling well,” he heard Silena, the girl from earlier, say. “He stayed back.”

“I trust he’s still loyal to our cause, Silena?” Luke said with a dangerous tone.

“O-of course,” Silena stammered. Grover felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. 

He heard Luke let out a low chuckle. “Good. Now, let’s begin. We will know by the morning if the Avatar and his... _ friends _ wish to join us. Assuming they do, we will deliver them straight to the detainment facility.

Ethan scoffed. “And if they object?”

Luke paced the room, his boots clacking against the wooden surface. “That doesn’t concern me. The Avatar’s friends can be dealt with easily. What concerns me is getting the Avatar to General Kronos before the siege.”

_ Kronos?  _

Grover could hardly believe what he was hearing. Even if his time with the Southern Water Tribe was short, he had heard countless stories of the infamous General Kronos. He was a cruel man, responsible for the endless raids against the Tribe and for imprisoning all of their waterbenders - or  _ worse.  _ He had even led the attack that killed Tyson’s mother. Tyson, Percy’s beloved half brother, who Percy would move mountains for, who was now missing an eye because of Kronos. Any sort of siege this man was planning couldn’t be good news. Grover suddenly felt seasick.

Slowly, he backed out of the hall, racing back to their sleeping quarters. He cursed his legs for not being able to carry him faster. Then, he burst through the doors, earning some frightened looks from the people in the room.

“Percy, he’s going to turn Jason over to the Fire Nation!”

Percy just stared at him blankly. “Grover, this really isn’t funny.”

“It’s not a joke!” Grover huffed. “I heard him say it himself! Look, we need to get to Jason and warn him about-”

“Warn who?” Bianca stood by the doorway. She must have gone to find Jason, Grover reasoned, by the look of her windblown hair. Her search had obviously turned up empty, which made Grover even more sick to his stomach. 

“Jason!” Grover nearly shouted. Percy flinched, but the soldier ignored it. “He’s in danger, do you know where-”

“Is something wrong here?” A sickly sweet voice came from the doorway. Bianca stepped aside, face turning ghostly white. Luke Castellan walked into the room, blue eyes boring holes into all of them. 

Percy glared at their host. Grover had never seen his sea-green eyes look so icy. “Is it true?”

Luke smirked. “I’m not a mind-reader, Percy.”

Percy didn’t falter. “Are you selling us out to the Fire Nation?”

At this, Luke drew his sword. Grover stiffened, watching Percy’s body mirror his own. Percy reached for his own sword, but didn’t draw it yet. They watched as Luke ran his hand over the blade.

“You see, General Kronos and I were enemies for quite some time. We hated each other more than you can imagine. But lately, we’ve come to an understanding.” Luke’s eyes glittered darkly in the lamplight. “It’s hard for a General to advance to being Fire Lord, but still, there’s a way. With him on the throne, we can run things the way we want.”

Percy lunged forward. “But the Fire Nation is evil! They’ve hurt you, and me!”

“Fair point. Still, Kronos and I share something with each other.” Luke’s sword glinted dangerously in the candlelight. “We want to see the Earth Kingdom crumble, brick by brick.”

Grover felt chills run down his back. He backed up slowly, until he realized he was up against the wall. Luke regarded him with a sickly grin.

“You see, I promised General Kronos that I’d get the Avatar to him. I made no promises about his friends.”

Grover shuddered, earning a wider grin from Luke.

“Any last words?”

Desperately, Grover looked toward the window. “Tempest, yip yip!”

Tempest’s massive paw crashed through the room, tearing a gaping hole in the side of the ship. Immediately, Bianca and Annabeth climbed onto him immediately, while Percy turned to Luke and began to fight. Grover used the distraction to climb onto Tempest’s neck and take the reins.

“Tempest, we need to find Jason,” he shouted.

“What about Percy?” Annabeth cried. Grover cursed to himself when he saw Percy engaged in a swordfight with Luke. From the looks of it, they were evenly matched, but Grover wasn’t sure how long that would last.

Bianca hopped back onto the ship, desperately reaching for her satchel. “I’ve got this!”

“Bianca, what are you-”

Grover didn’t get a chance to finish before he saw exactly what Bianca was planning. She tore her satchel open to reveal a pile of stones. She immediately shaped them into a large boulder and sent it straight for Luke. Percy was shoved aside by the force of the blast.

“What are you doing?” Percy shouted.

Bianca sent another boulder hurtling toward Luke. “Saving your-”

_ Crash!  _

Jason burst into the room, sending an air blast at Luke that sent the man flying into the wall. Grover even grimaced at the sight. Jason then gestured for Percy and Bianca to follow him to Tempest.

Jason hopped up next to Grover and nodded at him. “Thanks for taking over.”

“No problem,” Grover told him. “Can we leave now?”

Jason looked down at Percy and Bianca, who were climbing onto Tempest behind them. Percy collapsed onto the saddle with a huff. Bianca was following closely behind, but before she could pull herself onto the saddle, a hand grabbed her foot.

“Let me go!” Bianca screamed in vain. Luke only tightened his grip, a sick smile returning to his battered face. Behind them, his men were swarming in, too many for them to fight.

Turning to Percy, Bianca’s face grew desperate. “Percy! Promise me you’ll find my brother! Tell him what happened!”

“No!” Percy shouted, grabbing hold of her hand and pulling as hard as he could. “I’m not leaving you!”

A strange sense of calm washed over Bianca’s face. “I’ll be fine. Just promise me you’ll find him!”

A lone tear rolled down Percy’s face. Grover could hardly watch it unfold, but couldn’t bear to tear his eyes away.

“I promise,” Percy said, barely audible.

Bianca smiled, then let go. Percy screamed, but she was already in Luke’s grasp. Luke was smiling like a madman as he shoved her into the arms of his men.

“You can’t run forever, Avatar,” he shouted to them. “You and your friends will pay for this.”

Jason didn’t grace him with a response. Instead, he grabbed the reins and yelled, “Tempest, yip yip!”

Percy was in hysterics by the time they were out of harm’s way. Annabeth was trying in vain to calm him, but he wouldn’t listen to anyone. Grover was barely holding back tears too, but he forced them back, putting on a brave face for his companions.

“We need to go back!” Percy shouted. “We can’t just leave her!”

“Percy, we can’t go back!” Annabeth told him. She grabbed him by the shoulders and looked straight at him, her face grave. Grover looked away.

“We can’t,” she said again, voice cracking.

Grover looked up at the night sky. The stars were shining brightly that night, not a cloud in sight. It would be easy for them to navigate a path north, but with Luke knowing their plans, they were surely being followed.

“Let’s head east,” Grover finally said. Only Jason turned to look at him, giving him a quick nod before adjusting the reins. Grover hummed, his eyes still on the sky above.

“I hate being right,” he grumbled to himself. The moon stared back at him, unwavering, in response.


End file.
